At 15 months, Jayce Joyce already had a passion for reading and writing.
He tried to understand the photos in picture books and draw them.
Now, at the age of four, he is eligible to apply for the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest person to publish a book and a series at the same time.
His mother Anim Joyce described him to Anadolu as “an amazing boy with an unimaginable talent.”
She first realized Jayce’s potential when he could hold pencils like an adult at the age of 15 months.
By age three, he could record his thoughts in scripts, revealing the strengths of his excellent memory. He has a great talent for memorization and writes and illustrates events or stories with a touch of adventure and fun.
“I like to write because writing is fun. I want people to read what I write and use their imagination and write their own stories,” says the little author.
His mother said Jayce has a photographic memory, which helped him start reading and writing at a very early age.
“At age 3, he started writing scripts of our trips to the park, the zoo, and the grocery store. When we came home, he just wanted to write everything down and illustrate it.”
Anim said she would read to her son like any other mother, but Jayce’s memory talent had him learning to read and write quickly.
Jayce’s first two books, A Beach With No Sea and Jayce’s Sweet Tooth, were published on World Book Day on March 2.
He is the main character in his stories to get his message across. His stories are about morals, such as encouraging children to eat healthily or knowing that sometimes things do not go the way they want them to, but they can still be happy with what they have.
He is only four years and 10 months old. The current record holder is an author from Sri Lanka who published his first book, Junk Food, at 4 years and 356 days.
Anim said her family made the necessary contact with Guinness World Record and submitted an application.
However, there are several criteria for a record to be recognized. Jayce must publish with an official publisher and sell 1,000 copies of each book.
The family said it has met all the criteria and is now waiting for the book to sell the required number of copies, which are available on Amazon.
Jayce’s picture books are also self-published through Birmingham-based The Book Chief Publishing House.
Anim hopes her son’s books will sell before the deadline of four years and 356 days.
“I am so incredibly proud of how he’s turned out and what he’s accomplished at a very young age when kids are not learning to read, let alone write their own stories. To have them published is a dream come true. I really hope he believes in himself as much as I believe in him,” she said. (PNA)