Boy 8, publishes first book

Apr 06, 2025 Features / Columnists, News, Waterfalls Magazine

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A journey fueled by talent, creativity and mom’s support….

By: Christal Yong

Kaieteur News-  At just eight years old, Jeziel Andre Tucker has already made a mark in the world of literature.  On March 23, 2025, the eight year old launched his first book at the University of Guyana’s (UG) Education Lecturer Theatre. He aptly titled it ‘My First Book.’

For many, this would be a dream come true, but for him, it’s just the beginning. The Grade Three student of the New Guyana School’s journey to becoming a published author was sparked by a school project.

“My school project helped me write my book because I had to make a storybook with stories I did it in class and I combined those stories together [for] my first book. I got my ideas because I had to do creative writing, which is also called the composition,” the young child told The Waterfalls.

He said it took him three months to complete the project and publish the book. Young Jeziel did not face any challenges along the way, thanks to his dedication and the guidance from his mother, who helped him stay on track throughout the process.

While writing is a passion of the young student, he has other interests as well. He enjoys playing the drums, driving his life size (toy) vehicles, and dreaming about flying planes.

His fascination with aviation is deeply rooted in time spent with his uncle, who was a pilot. Tucker recalls how he was captivated by the cockpit and the control panels the pilots use to fly, when traveling on planes.

“I want to be one of those people who control the buttons and fly the plane,” he says with his eyes sparkling at the thought of his aspirations.

 

The Grade Three student’s sense of accomplishment is palpable. He describes feeling happy, smart, and diligent about his writing.

“I feel like I am a good person,” he said proudly. Looking ahead, Tucker has big plans for his writing. He intends to write more books, exploring topics beyond the stories he’s written so far. His next project will focus on Guyana, followed by another about Jamaica.

He chose these countries because of his personal connections to them, having visited both and interacted with people, who call them home. This first-hand knowledge will allow him to incorporate authentic details into his future stories.

Tucker’s enthusiasm for both writing and learning shines through as he looks to the future, already planning his next literary endeavors. With his mother’s support and a clear vision for his creative path, there’s no telling just how far this young author will go.

A mother’s support

Latoya Arthur-Tucker, mother of the young author, admits that while she feels an immense sense of pride, she has a tinge of guilt at her son’s early literary success.

She told The Waterfalls, “While it is a proud moment, I think I am pretty much dismissing my pride because Jayne, who is his older sister, writes as well and she started writing before him but his book was published before her, so as their mother, I am deep down feeling, I did her some amount of injustice.”

Jayne, who is currently in Grade Six, had been focusing on her exam preparation, which led Latoya to pause her writing endeavors temporarily. This, she feels, may have caused her to unintentionally overlook her daughter’s creative ambitions in favor of her son’s newfound success.

However, she asserted, “I am happy for him and I am excited for his accomplishments in terms of guiding him when he brought home the project. Before bringing home the project, I knew that he had these abilities and I sense greatness in his writing.”

Reflecting on his writing, Mrs. Tucker was quick to praise her son’s natural talent. “His writing was always pointed and purposeful,” she says. She highlighted that her son will take a long time to complete a task, but when it is done, it is properly executed.

When young Tucker brought home his school project, which would eventually become his first published book, his mother didn’t expect to do much editing.

She explained, “I knew I hadn’t much work to do in terms of correcting, adding to the fact that the teachers said she didn’t want the parents to do any correcting because the parents might change the rest of the child’s writing and the concepts, so all we were asked to do was to type it up.”

However, Mrs. Tucker did question whether the stories truly sounded like her eight-year-old son’s work. “There were times when I paused, and I asked Jeziel ‘Is you write this story?’ And he was like, ‘yes mom,  I did it in class’ and I reached out to the teacher and I was like, I am not doubting my child’s ability but the stories ain’t sound like them do it out of their head, and she’s like yes,” she said.

Further, as she continued to type out her son’s work, she realized that his story could reach a different level. Mrs. Tucker then reached out for illustrations, and when she sent the manuscript for publication, the publisher was shocked to learn that her son, who was seven at that time, wrote the book.

Mrs. Tucker believes strongly in the power of communication with children.

Mrs. Tucker said, “I do not believe in speaking to a child in baby language. Simply put, since my children were in my womb, I spoke to them like I will speak to any right-thinking human. I do not believe in lowering your language to accommodate a child, I speak to my children on the level like if we are all adults, [mind] you, there are boundaries, I do believe in age-appropriate conversations.”

In her eyes, clear communication and mutual respect are essential in nurturing her children’s talents, and the results of that approach are evident in her son’s success.

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