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STEWIE THE DUCK COMES TO VIDEO TO TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER SAFETY

Parents Who Lost Infant Son Hope to Prevent Other Accidental Drownings

NORWALK, Conn., June 3, 2003 – Authors Kim and Stew Leonard, Jr., announce the video release of their children’s book on water safety, Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim.

To transform the book Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim to video, the Leonard’s teamed up with award-winning puppeteer Bill Diamond, of Bill Diamond Productions, who includes among his credits working with Jim Henson. Bill and his team literally brought the lovable characters in the book to life on video through their unique style of puppetry creation and operation.

Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim is aimed at teaching children ages two through six about how to be safe near the water through the story of Stewie, a duck who wants to swim with the 'big ducks,' but is prevented from going in the water until he learns the water safety rules. Stewie learns the three main rules of water safety -- learn to swim, always wear a life vest and having a grown-up watch you in the pool -- through song that is reinforced throughout the video by the characters.

Watch Clip from the Video 56K (Dial-Up Modem) 100K (T1/Lan) 300K (Cable/DSL)

All proceeds from the sale of the video will go to benefit various water safety charities, including local area YMCAs and Swim America, a national learn to swim program. The video is available for $7.95 in Stew Leonard’s food stores and online at www.stewleonards.com.

The motivating force behind the book and video stems from the Leonard’s own personal tragedy. While on a family vacation in 1989, their 21-month old son, Stew Leonard III, ventured into the pool unnoticed. Within minutes a search ensued, when a yellow T-shirt was spotted floating in the pool. Even though CPR was performed immediately, it was too late to save Stewie. This tragic event propelled the Leonard’s to create the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation in 1990 to help promote water safety awareness.

“People who knew about our mission always asked us if there was educational material on this topic they could use to teach their children about water safety. Surprisingly, there is little information about water safety that is geared to children under five years old. We thought that if we created a lovable character like ‘Stewie the Duck’, we could teach children about water safety in a fun way,” said Stew Leonard, Jr. “The response we have received on the book has been tremendous. We know it is making a difference, which is what it is all about. My family and I hope that this video will be another way for parents to reinforce this message.”

“There is such a huge need to educate parents and children about water safety because drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under five years old,” said Kim Leonard. “We hope parents will enjoy reading or watching Stewie the Duck as much as their children. It is so important for parents to remember that whenever there is water to never take your eyes off your child."

Other startling drowning statistics:

About 350 children under five years-old drown in pools each year nationwide, and over half of these incidents occur in June, July and August.

More than half of drownings (60 to 90 percent) among children under the age of four are pool related.

A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone.

Seventy-seven percent of victims have only been missing from sight for five minutes or less.

For every one child who dies in a drowning accident, approximately four more are hospitalized for near-drowning, many of whom wind up severely brain damaged

In May of 2002, the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation published Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim. The book retails for $4.95 and is available at 1-800-SAY-STEW (729-7839), www.stewleonards.com and at Stew Leonard’s grocery stores in Norwalk and Danbury, Connecticut and Yonkers, NY. It is also available on Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble book stores in Connecticut and New York, where the Leonard’s will be conducting several book readings and puppet shows. Visit www.stewleonards.com for a list of upcoming appearances.