Four-year-old Bryan Patrick, from New Bern, North Carolina, has recently published his first book and is vying for the title of “World’s Youngest Author” in the Guinness Book of World Records. With parents who are both educators, Eleanor and Ervin Patrick noticed their son’s innate fascination with letters at a young age.
Bryan demonstrated a remarkable talent for language at a young age, impressing his family by spelling words like “axolotl.” His love for letters extended into all aspects of his life, from family trips to the Alphabet Museum to dressing up as a superhero of his favorite letter ‘B.’
To foster this passion, Eleanor and Ervin Patrick created an alphabet garden in their backyard where each letter corresponds to a specific plant. The journey was not planned but inspired by Bryan’s ideas. Despite being in preschool, Bryan has already mastered skills that are typically taught to older children such as reading fluently and knowing letter sounds. He can even multiply and divide with ease.
Eleanor mentioned that Bryan’s achievements have largely been a result of his self-teaching and natural curiosity. Each night, Bryan would spend time typing out the alphabet on the computer until he progressed to sentences and then an entire book in just one month. His parents now face the challenge of determining an appropriate grade level for him due to his advanced abilities.
In order to claim the title of world’s youngest author, Bryan must sell 1000 copies of his book. His family is hosting a book launch party in New Bern to support his goal. While another four-year-old currently holds the title, with community’s support , Bryan could make history as new record holder .