Kiara, her parents say, spends most of her time reading.
Chennai:
She is barely five but Indian-American Kiara Kaur has already won international acclaim for reading 36 books nonstop for over an hour. Baby Kiara, who lives in the UAE, has entered the World Book of Records in London and Asia Book of Records for her feat.
Calling her a “child prodigy”, the World Book of Records in London certified Kiara Kaur “for having specific ability to read non-stop 36 books in 105 minutes at the age of 4 years on 13th February.”
The Asia Book of Records has acknowledged that she “set a record for reading maximum number of books nonstop”.
Baby Kiara’s passion for reading was spotted by one of her teachers at a nursery school in Abu Dhabi that she attended for a few months last year before it shut down due to the lockdown. Her teacher often found her passionately reading books at the school’s small library.
“I love to read because I like to see the colourful pictures in the book. And they are written big so I can read the words easily (sic),” Baby Kiara told NDTV. Her favourites include Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Shooting Star.
Kiara, her parents say, spends most of her time reading. Over the last one year, she has read around two hundred books. “She used to read all the time, while in the car, even in the rest room and before going to bed. She is such an inquisitive child, we had to get her books every time we went go shopping,” explained her dentist mother Dr Little Mahendra who denies the child was pushed into setting this record.
“We feel proud that she has achieved a lot at this young age. Wish her reading habit continues” her father Dr Ravindranath said.
Many of the stories, the little girl read to set the record are level 3 or 4 books, meant for older children, her mother said.
“Sometimes there are no new books and I read the same story again and again ,” said the five-year-old.
When asked why she loves reading from books and not on other devices, Kiara said, “Reading from books is extremely enjoyable. You can carry books anywhere you like. The problem in reading on phones or watching videos is that I can’t read if there is no internet for some time”.
Baby Kiara, who wants to become a doctor, also loves swimming and hiking.
Born in America to Chennai-based parents, Kiara is a US citizen. Her mother said Kiara’s grandfather, Lt Colonel MP Singh, nurtured her interest in reading. “He used to listen to her stories on WhatsApp calls for hours together. He has had a great impact on Kiara’s upbringing,” she said.