Announcing Our Third Bark for Books! Campaign

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Editorial Staff

Chaucer Barking by John Clarke Copyright The Armarium PressChaucer will be launching his third Bark for Books! Campaign this Saturday at the May Fair in Rindge, New Hampshire. For every copy of Learning Is Cool… It’s the First Day of School! sold between now and 15 August 2013, The Armarium Press will donate one copy of the book to the young child of a deployed or wounded soldier.

“We came up with the idea several years ago, shortly before Learning Is Cool was released,” says publisher Carmen Madrid. “We’d been corresponding with the Baghdad-based soldier we’d adopted through the Soldiers’ Angels program, and it occurred to us how difficult it must be for kids to start kindergarten or first grade with a beloved parent so far away.”

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Discovering the Tucson Library’s Read-to-a-Dog Program

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Editorial Staff

Read to a Dog program at the Dusenberry River branch of the Tucson Public LibraryWhen visiting Tucson recently, some of The Armarium Press team discovered the Pima County Public Library’s Read-to-a-Dog program. We’ve heard about read-to-a-dog events at indie bookstores elsewhere around the country, but this is the most extensive such program we’ve come across: About a dozen Tucson-area library branches participate weekly. The concept is that children–specifically early readers and those who might be having a little trouble reading at their grade level–find dogs a comfortable, non-judgmental audience.

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Lessons from a Photo Shoot: Fire Safety Tips Your Kids May Not Remember From School

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Editorial Staff

Chaucer With Fire Marshal BrianThanks to Fire Marshal Brian, Chaucer and his team secured some great photos a while back for the prolific terrier’s forthcoming book about careers (Surgeon, Sculptor, Sailor on the Sea… What in the World Do I Want to Be?) We caught up with Fire Marshal Brian recently, and the discussion turned to fire safety lessons for young kids.

It turns out that firefighters face unique challenges when entering a burning home in which there are young children. Why? Kids often conceal themselves, behind doors, in closets, under furniture–forcing their rescuers to spend precious moments in a dangerous game of hide and seek.

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The Power of “Well Done”

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Carmen Madrid

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.

Inspirational words such as these from Winston Churchill can be a beacon in our lesser inspired moments. And, if you’re like me, moments of cloudiness try to creep in to my day’s work, curbing my enthusiasm more often than I care to admit. One way I try to motivate myself is by recalling that most motivational quotes were born of some challenge faced by the “quoter.” The other way is even simpler. Read on.

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“All Things Being Equal…” (But They Shouldn’t Be)

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Carmen Madrid

We knew when we published Eddy Kay’s Thriving in the Shadow of Giants: How to Find Success as an Independent Retailer back in 2000 that his message for independent business owners was one with long legs. Twelve years later, Kay’s words are echoed in an article last week by Carmine Gallo at Forbes.com.

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From Caterpillar to Chrysalis: Marvin Begins His Transformation

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Robyn Larson McCarthy

Monarch Caterpillar ChrysalisAt last report, Marvin the monarch caterpillar was devouring milkweed at such a remarkable pace, we were sure he was about to move to the next step: hanging in a “j” shape from the highest point in his enclosure, the posture they strike before molting one final time and forming a chrysalis. Three times in the ensuing days, Marvin crept along the highest twig in his large vase, then gripped the mesh screen that sealed the top with all his tiny feet. Come morning, however, he was back to eating Hobbit style (breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses…).

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Announcing a New Chaucer in the Classroom Project: Free Downloadable Phonics and Spelling Worksheets

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Editorial Staff

Silent E Phonics WorksheetWith the new school year in full swing, we’re excited to announce the launch of a free teaching resource section of The Armarium Press website–featuring downloadable phonics and spelling worksheets for early readers. This new section will also include free coloring pages with John Clarke’s illustrations from Learning Is Cool… It’s the First Day of School! and other titles in our Chaucer in the Classroom book series.

We’ve launched this online resource for teachers and home-school parents because it’s our experience you can never have enough good phonics and spelling worksheets for beginning readers. Many of the workbooks we’ve reviewed provide just a single practice page on each phonetic concept, sometimes with as few as six questions per page–hardly enough for practicing the fundamental building blocks of literacy.

This section of our site is a work in progress, so please check back often. Don’t see what your students need yet? Suggestions welcome!

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Meet Marvin, Our Soon-to-Be Monarch Butterfly

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Robyn Larson McCarthy

Monarch Caterpillar Eating MilkweedI was padding towards the stairs following the scent of coffee brewing when I heard it. A discrete scratching sound, ever so slight but consistent, determined even. A bug struggling against the window screen? I paused at the bathroom door, then tiptoed as hastily as possible over to the large vase on the bright ledge by the window. It was Marvin.

Countless readings of The Very Hungry Caterpillar don’t begin to give you an idea of how much a real-life caterpillar consumes. And here was our little monarch eating through his second milkweed leaf of the morning so loudly I could actually hear his steady, forceful munching. The sound was at once adorable and awesome in its single-minded pursuit of what was needed to move on to the chrysalid stage of his life.

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Ready for the First Day of School? Chaucer “Talks” Classroom Jitters and More at the Ingalls Memorial Library

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Editorial Staff

Chaucer and Carmen Madrid with Children's Librarian Georgianna Connor at the Ingalls Memorial LibraryThe first day of school is a really big deal–especially if you’re stepping up from preschool to kindergarten, or from kindergarten to first grade at the “big kids’ school.” Ringing bells, rules galore! And all those new faces to meet. Chaucer and his entourage visited the Ingalls Memorial Library in Rindge, N.H. on Monday to help the little ones in the summer reading program prepare for The Big Day.

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The Armarium Press: Festina Lente