Five-year-old Indian American Reads 36 Books Non-Stop in 105 Minutes, Sets Record

Kiara Kaur’s passion for reading was spotted by one of her teachers at a nursery school in Abu Dhabi.

At a young age, parents try to instill the habit of reading in children. Some of us enjoy it so much that we take it forward and call it our “best friend” as the years go by. For a 5-year-old girl named Kiara Kaur, her love for books helped her set a unique world record. Indian-American Kaur has already won international acclaim for reading 36 books nonstop for over an hour.

On February 19 (at the age of 4 years, 11 months, and 27 days), Baby Kiara, who lives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), read 36 books non-stop for 105 minutes, making her foray into the World Book of Records in London and Asia Book of Records for her remarkable feat. This means that she read continuously for a little under two hours.

Calling her a “child prodigy,” the World Book of Records in London certified Kiara Kaur “for having the 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 also acknowledged that she “set a record for reading the maximum number of books nonstop.”

Born in America to parents who hail from Chennai, Kiara, at a very young age, became an avid bibliophile. Her 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 nursery teacher spotted her reading diligently in the school’s small library and recognized her passion. Kiara’s mother, dentist Dr. Little Mahendra, speaking to NDTV said she used to read “even in the restroom and before going to bed,” and has read over 200 books. 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,” explains her mother, who denies the child was pushed into setting this record.

“Reading from books is extremely enjoyable. You can carry a book anywhere you like. The problem in reading on phones or watching a video is that I can’t read if there is no internet available,” Kiara told NDTV. She further adds, “I love to read because I like to see the colorful pictures in the book. And they are written big so I can read the words easily (sic).” Her favorites include “Alice in Wonderland,” Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Shooting Star.”

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.” Her father Dr. Ravindranath said: “We feel proud that she has achieved a lot at this young age. I wish her reading habit continues.” Her mother notes that 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 Kiara. Her mother adds that it was Kiara’s grandfather, Lt Colonel MP Singh, who 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.”