Summer gives way to autumn. Calendars turn. Children grow—and with every new school year, they are expected to keep moving forward. Yet for a child who struggles to read, the passage of time can feel like watching everyone else pull farther ahead. 
Reading can change that direction. More than a subject on the school-day schedule, it is the vehicle that carries children from hesitation toward independence, from waiting for someone else to explain the words to discovering their meaning for themselves, and from “I can’t” to four life-changing words: “I read it myself.” 
And so, one longtime literacy expert is helping young readers nationwide find their forward motion—giving families and educators a clearer path to turn struggle into skill, skill into confidence, and confidence into lasting freedom. 
Author, Certified Reading Specialist, & Creator of Forward Motion Readers, Christie Welsby, joins our John Masiulionis and Little Forrest on Episode #285 of PR From The Heart’s Children’s Books Spotlight Series to share her evolution from an elementary literacy educator to a KidLit creator, the release of her Forward Motion Readers series, how her Orton–Gillingham training transformed the way she teaches literacy, why stories structured one sound at a time can help beginning readers, English-language learners, and children with dyslexia succeed, the growing barriers that screens and weakened community connections can place between kids and books, ways families can make reading fun through children’s interests, shared storytime, and community “reading invasions,” and her heartfelt message for exhausted parents and educators navigating the hardest days—plus much more. 
We encourage you, our friends and neighbors, to support Christie’s mission by getting your copies of Forward Motion Readers—and enjoy these empowering reads with your little ones:
Book 1: Meet Us!: https://bit.ly/4jfjf7U
Book 2: Off We Go!: https://bit.ly/4yaWarR
Book 3: On Our Way!: https://bit.ly/4y4sJrj
Forward Motion Readers—Book 1: Meet Us! Text copyright © 2024 by Christie Welsby. Published by Christie Koesterwelsby. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Forward Motion Readers—Book 2: Off We Go! Text copyright © 2025 by Christie Welsby. Published by Christie Koesterwelsby. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Forward Motion Readers—Book 3: On Our Way! Text copyright © 2026 by Christie Welsby. Published by Christie Koesterwelsby. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Stay connected with Christie online and on social media:
Official Website: https://bit.ly/4heekBG
Instagram: https://bit.ly/4yL9G59
Facebook: https://bit.ly/4dRxyfo
