It was Albert Einstein who said that 'Imagination is more important than knowledge,'" says Eddie Sax, of Sax Media Group, who along with his wife Charlotte, are the creators and producers of an exciting new product designed to enhance the storytelling experience for children from ages 5-12. The StoryWatchers Club DVD series brings together a collection of the nation's most talented storytellers to impart to children the importance of developing and using their imaginations.

In "Keys to Imagination," children will learn that polar bears really can dance, the story of Cinderella is a bit different when told from the Fairy Godmother's point of view, and a wide mouth frog can spark the creativity in all of us!

A multi-cultural cast of puppets, humorously lead the way from one storyteller to the next.

Format: DVD
Running Time: 45 min
Ages 5-12

"Still a bit of sugar but even MORE SPICE" CD:

With her comfortable, spontaneous style Barbara Schutzgruber combines words, string and song, weaving a spell for listeners of all ages.

Her rich voice conjures images from the depth of your imagination. Girls-smart and gutsy-are at the center of these highly entertaining fairy tale adventures told by powerful storyteller Barbara Schutzgruber. When Schutzgruber spins her conversational yarns about giants, quests, carnivorous pumpkins, gnomes and enchanted bears, you can imagine yourself listening by firelight on the edge of some enchanted forest, where anything is possible, especially if you're a girl. As "smart, brave, clever" Molly inches a magic ring off a sleeping giant's finger, Schutzgruber's voice drops to a tantalizing whisper; when the giant wakes up, the whisper becomes a roar. She gives a lively re-telling of Grimm's "Snow White and Rose Red," and she adds a humorously spooky touch to "The Insatiable Pumpkin," about a spoiled little girl who suffers the unfortunate consequences of getting everything you want, until a wise old woman sets things right. -Lynne Heffley, 2000 Parents' Choice Review

Still a bit of sugar but even MORE SPICE audio samplers: Molly and the Giant
The Insatiable Pumpkin
Different as Night and Day

Barbara tells stories from the oral traditions of the Great Lakes Region as well as stories from around the world.

"Ladies Night Out" CD:

Settle in for a round of tales, each focusing on different women. The stories collectively portray women in various circumstances undergoing experiences that forge character and personality. Except for Alice in "The Mole", all the women are nameless, symbolically suggesting each is every woman. Throughout the stories, the women show a need for security, love, romance, and adventure, and they exhibit admirable qualities of independence, strength, determination, and loyalty. Only Alice in "The Mole" displays mean qualities of greed, pride, and arrogance. She is clearly not every woman.

Barbara begins this CD with "We all love stories... We each hear what we need to hear." And so it is with Ladies' Night Out, a collection of five diverse stories, each focusing on a woman. The "need to hear what we need to hear" begins with the title, so don't be mislead by the whimsical, tongue-in-cheek, even serious, Ladies' Night Out.

Audio sampler:
The Forest
The Lady Mole
The Bride
Three Coins

With her comfortable, spontaneous style Barbara Schutzgruber combines words, string and song, weaving a spell for listeners of all ages. Her rich voice conjures images from the depth of your imagination. She tells stories from the oral traditions of the Great Lakes Region as well as stories from around the world.

Format: Audio CD