Reading in a World That’s Always Scrolling: Four Weeks at the Sunnyside Reading Club

In a world full of screens, where attention is always pulled in different directions, sitting with a book can feel like something from another time. But every Saturday over the past month, a small group of children did just that. They sat together, slowed down, listened, laughed and let stories take them somewhere new.

At Sunnyside, we started the Reading Club not to teach children how to read, but to help them love reading. No pressure, no targets. Just stories, conversations, drawings, role play, and the joy that comes from being in the world of a book. We kept it simple: let the story lead the way. Here's a glimpse into our first four weeks and why they meant so much.

Week 1 - Launch Day – A Special Visit from Author Priyadarshini

We began with author Priyadarshini and her evocative book Thulir’s Stroll, set in the misty Western Ghats. Her poetry workshop reminded children that words can be playful, rhythmic, deeply rooted in nature—and that they, too, could be poets. As they explored sounds, textures, and feelings through verse, we saw how stories awaken not just imagination, but emotional presence.

Week 2 – Gajapati’s Sneezes & Gulab’s Grit

Our first regular session opened with Gajapati Kulapati by Ashok Rajagopalan—a joyfully noisy story that had the under-7s sniffling and sneezing along. It wasn’t just about fun; it gently sparked conversations on hygiene, kindness, and caring for others. The hand washing jingle they took home became a song of laughter and responsibility.

For the older children, My Name is Gulab by Sagar Kolwankar inspired conversations about fairness, caste, and courage. Children reflected on their own ideas for change and created “inventions” to make life better for others—thoughtful, imaginative, and full of heart. In that moment, we saw what stories can do—they help children see injustice and imagine change.

Week 3 – No Words, Just Eyes and Questions

The Level 1 book, Ammachi’s Glasses by Priya Kuriyan, was wordless—but not silent. Children read meaning in pictures, emotions in expressions. They laughed, gasped, improvised, and finally made bright paper glasses of their own. One child kept urging, “Please give her your glasses!”— a sweet moment of empathy.

In Level 2, The Why-Why Girl by Mahasweta Devi unleashed a wave of questions—“Why do we have to go to school to learn?” “Why can't boys cry?” “Why do we have to grow up?” Their “Why-Why Puppets” were not just craft—they were voices demanding to be heard. Moyna taught us that children are not just curious—they are courageous.

Week 4 – Gifting, Growing and Doing the Right Thing

The little ones read Malli is Coming! by Jeeva Raghunath and talked about the joy of giving. They made simple paper gifts for someone they love. But many didn’t want to give them away—they had grown attached to what they made. One child softly said, “But grown-ups don’t really need our gifts.” That moment stayed with many of us. It opened up a bigger question—how can we show children that their love matters, even if it doesn’t come with a price tag?

In the older group, we read Will Goondi Come Home? by Adithi Rao. Children connected deeply with Muthu’s love for her rooster. They were quick to point out what felt unfair in the story, especially how the teacher behaved. Some of them even remembered seeing prawns being caught in Pulicat, linking their own life with the world of the book. They made “Value Webs” around ideas like kindness, forgiveness, and standing up for what’s right.

Why This Matters

Today’s children live in a world of speed, content scrolls past before they’ve had time to feel. But stories are different. They ask us to pause, to listen, to feel slowly and deeply. And when we read with children, we’re not just helping them decode words—we’re helping them grow minds and hearts. Reading fosters imagination, critical thinking, and emotional resilience. A child who reads learns to stay with discomfort, to hold complex ideas, to build empathy for someone else’s struggle. They learn that the world is not just what they see, but also what they can dream into being. And perhaps most importantly, they learn to trust their voice.

What We Hope For

We hope Sunnyside’s Reading Club becomes more than a weekend event. We hope it reminds parents, educators, and communities that books are not just tools for learning; they are companions for life. We invite parents to read aloud with their children; not just for bedtime, but for bonding. To talk about stories. To listen to a child’s thoughts, however small or strange. To create a culture where books are everywhere, in shelves, in bags, in conversations. Because when children grow up with stories, they grow up with possibility. And when families read together, they raise thinkers who are kind, curious, and bold. We need many more such circles, not just to raise readers, but to nurture thinking hearts in a noisy world. Join us as we keep turning pages, asking questions, and building a future shaped not by algorithms, but by empathy.