“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all,” the icon Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once said. And when books are in the blood, one can’t help but be driven to the business of stories and storytelling.

The Almario children were raised in a book lover’s haven, under the love and care of parents poet and literary critic Virgilio Almario (yes, the National Artist for Literature) and Lyn Almario, who built quite a business career before shifting her formidable management talents to Adarna House. The book publishing firm, now on its 35th year of producing Filipino children’s classics, continues to grow with daughters Ani Rosa Almario as vice president, Asa Almario-Montejo as director for marketing, and only son Agno Almario as director for digital projects.