Mrs. Karen Houghton of Sand Lake, New York, a reading teacher for 15 years and an educator for 20 years, has announced the launch of her new company, bananaEd Productions, LLC®, an enterprise dedicated to the production of videos that help children acquire reading and learning skills. This effort will expose children to great literature for kids, challenge them to have fun learning, and assure them that it?s all right to be children.

Mrs. Houghton believes that reading and learning should be enjoyable and rewarding experiences, and she is utilizing this approach in her series of The Reading Lady^® videos. As of this date, the introduction to the series and episodes one through thirty-six are being aired on 102 public access stations in 27 states, being made available to approximately 2.8 million households via cable TV broadcasting companies.

Called ?timeless? by Jack McNerny, Executive Director of SHO-P.E.G public access in Cobleskill, NY, The Reading Lady^® series contains lively and colorful props, backdrops, and learning aids, including Ed the Gorilla and his counterpart, Ted the Polar Bear, both lovers of reading; scores of their animal friends; and many other fun and engaging learning aids. Filmed in a warm, comfortable setting, the series features Mrs. Houghton as The Reading Lady. She guides viewers through illustrated children?s books, reading lessons, storytelling, and many other fun learning experiences.

?It?s a world full of distractions, obstacles, and other problems that can make learning, and just being a child, very difficult things to do,? says Mrs. Houghton. ?With this series of videos, I hope to make learning fun and easy?something children will look forward to, and I very much hope to help clear the way for them to feel comfortable just being children. It?s a precious time that passes altogether too quickly.?

The Reading Lady was interviewed by CBS Affiliate WRGB TV channel 6 in Schenectady, New York. News Anchor Michelle Smith talked to The Reading Lady at length and segments of this interview aired during the 5:30 PM news. In this interview, Ms. Smith equated The Reading Lady to Mr. Rogers. This is both a compliment and a responsibility?one that The Reading Lady takes very seriously.

The Reading Lady^® episodes are currently provided free of charge to public access TV stations, and bananaEd Productions® has launched their Literacy Partner program, which allows businesses and individuals to sponsor episodes in order to defray production costs and allow for even wider distribution and availability of the series. The Reading Lady has also announced the upcoming release of her first commercial DVD, a multi-episode compilation entitled Adventures in Reading, which will be sold in stores throughout the country.

If you would like to see production still photographs or film clips of The Reading Lady® episodes, receive more information on The Reading Lady^® series, find out how to become a Literacy Partner or a dealer for the Adventures In Reading collection DVD, you can contact The Reading Lady through her website at:

www.bananaedproductions.com
or directly at:
kh@bananaedproductions.com

or by mail at:

bananaEd Productions
P.O. Box 105
Sand Lake, NY 12153-0105