Could you read 100 books in a day? A four-year-old did

By: Constance Gibbs Posted: 11:37 AM CST Friday, Dec. 15, 2017

CHICAGO — Reading is fundamental and livestreamable.

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CHICAGO — Reading is fundamental and livestreamable.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/12/2017 (3204 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CHICAGO — Reading is fundamental and livestreamable.

Caleb Green, a four-year-old from Chicago, Ill., challenged himself (and his parents) to read 100 books in one day — and he succeeded.

Green’s parents recorded Caleb reading 100 books Dec. 9 via dad Sylus’s Facebook page. Caleb read books like I Love My Skin, Goodnight, Owl, and a Bob Marley-inspired book titled One Love, taking a dance break every 10 books.

FACEBOOK
Caleb Green convinced his dad he could read 100 books in a day. His father decided to livestream it on Facebook. — FACEBOOK Caleb Green convinced his dad he could read 100 books in a day. His father decided to livestream it on Facebook.

The Greens pulled every book off their shelves and stacked them in the living room. When they realized they were eight short of 100, some family friends came through to give them a few more.

After nine hours, two breaks, and more than 2,000 views, Green had read all 100 books out loud. He then appeared on ABC7 Chicago the next morning to talk about his accomplishment.

“I like to read and I want to read some more like my sister,” Caleb said about his older sister, who reads and dances with him throughout the videos.

Caleb’s dad was hesitant at first, but Caleb was determined.

“I was like, ‘100, son? That’s a lot of books.’ So at first, I had the gut reaction to talk him down a little bit but he was like, ‘No, I want to read 100,’” Sylus Green told ABC7.

Sylus wrote on his Facebook page on Monday that a few people had negative things to say about Caleb’s challenge, including comments like “books? more like pamphlets. come back when he finishes his 100th novel” and “glad he can read. But will he respect the law and other people around him?”

But Green says he won’t let them take away the joy his son’s accomplishment brought to their community.

“The more they hate, the more we love,” he said on Facebook.

“In the end, it was amazing to see a four-year-old’s will and determination bring the community together on a Saturday night to watch him READ!!!!” he wrote.

These are the books you’ve probably lied about reading.

Caleb, who read no less than 11 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles books in his read-a-thon, wants to be a Ninja Turtle when he grows up, among other things.

“I want to be a basketball player. When I am 22, I want to be an astronaut and when I’m 23, I want to be a Ninja Turtle,” Caleb said.

— New York Daily News