Naperville 3-Year-Old's First Book Tops Amazon New Releases Chart

NAPERVILLE, IL — To say Lucas Wesley-Buckley has an insatiable love of reading might be an understatement at the very least.

A month shy of 4 years old, Lucas has already tackled thousands of books in his lifetime and will read literally anything he can get his hands on. From cardboard picture books to children’s stories to adult novels and even household instructional manuals, the Naperville youngster just can’t get enough books.

His book fascination has led to Lucas’ family owning more than 7,000 children’s books, all of which are stored in room dedicated to books. His mother, Christen Wesley, estimates she checks out 150 books a week from the library for her son to digest.

So, perhaps, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that at age 3, Lucas is already a published author after his first book, “Let’s Choose Peace,” was released on Amazon within the last week. The book fits in line with Lucas’ fascination with world peace that started in November when he heard the John Lennon song “War Is Over” and started asking his parents about what causes war and how world peace can be achieved.

As it turns out, that was just the beginning. When seated on Santa’s lap at Christmas, Lucas asked for — what else? — world peace after weeks of asking his mother if everyone had chosen peace yet. Two months later, his 47-page book, which includes about two dozen pieces of original art, is the No. 1 trending children’s book in the “children’s violence” category on Amazon.

“We’re kind of surprised,” Wesley told Patch on Tuesday. “But he’s just into spreading peace.”

She added: “He’s just so enthusiastic and passionate about learning and everything he encounters in life and helping others. So, it has been wonderful to watch him see his hard work pay off and be proud of himself.”

Wesley has read to her son since the day he was born. By age 2, Lucas was reading hundreds of books a day. He would also string together words since he had already learned all of his letters and would use alphabet pretzel snacks to spell out words, his mom says. By age 3, Lucas was picking up books and reading them in their entirety. It wasn’t long after that his parents were discussing a book that a friend had just written when Lucas proclaimed that he, too, would become an author.

Preferring to type on the family computer rather than physically write, Lucas sat down and hammered out the beginning of his book one night before bed. By the next morning, the story was complete and Lucas went to work on starting to paint the artwork needed to illustrate the book.

Knowing her son’s personality and dedication to goal setting, Wesley knew her son was serious about having the book published. After working with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing to get the book into production, Lucas’ family waited for the author’s proof to arrive in the mail.

The book arrived in Naperville late last week, which put the finished product into the young boy’s hands for the first time. Lucas’ goal is to have a copy at the local library for people to check out, and he hopes now to sell at least 207 copies, with the proceeds going to an organization to help plant trees. His love of animals and nature led Lucas to choosing his cause after he figured that animals could use more trees.

His second book having to do with math is already in the works, Wesley said.

In addition to reading, Lucas has a deep love of art history, is able to identify all of the world’s major art pieces and knows to which museum they belong. Lucas, who is already finishing up second-grade math curriculum, also has a deep appreciation for science and math as well as loving all things to do with animals, "Star Wars," outer space and “other typical 3-year-old stuff,” his mom says.

He is still two years from being able to start kindergarten, which leaves Wesley and her husband, John Buckley, uncertain what awaits their son. But his mom also knows that despite his age, Lucas is already an overachiever.

“He amazes me every single day," Wesley said. “I sometimes wonder, ‘Is this normal for a kid?’ I’m not so sure. Now he wants to learn to play the piano and learn to speak French, and I’m sure he’ll do those things, too. He’s always setting goals for himself.

She added: “He’s always surprising us … sometimes I think, ‘Maybe this is just how kids are,’ and my friends will tell me, “No, I don’t think this is quite average.’”