How a pet tarantula inspired a 10-year-old Sask. boy to write a children's book

An unusual pet sparked a 10-year-old-Saskatchewan boy's imagination and inspired him to write a children's book — with the help of his grandma.

About a year ago, Declan Bratkoski and his grandmother Pam Metz teamed up to write a book about the adventures of a boy's pet tarantula's after it gets loose in a school — something Metz actually experienced as a child. 

"I was only in kindergarten and they announced over the intercom that some boy's [pet] tarantula got loose and everybody was supposed to watch for it because they were trying to find it," Metz told CBC in an interview. 

"I was terrified."

Since writing a book was on her "bucket list," she said she gladly agreed when her grandson asked her to write a book with him.

Declan says he first got the idea from hearing his grandmother's stories — but not about her experience with the escaped pet.

"Grandma told me stories about her brother, who had a pet tarantula," he said. 

Writing the book, called Nibbles Goes to School, didn't take long. Metz was babysitting Declan when he asked her to help him write the book. By the time his mother got him, the story had already been written. 

"She [his mom] told Declan that that was a really special time with his grandma. And she was really excited because it was something we were doing together," said Metz, a retired teacher who taught creative writing.

"We've had to spend way more time together, so it's really nice."

Declan and his cousins are all avid readers, so it was natural for them to have an interest in writing, says Metz. His cousin Ava, who is 11 years old, helped edit the story.

Declan and his grandmother connected with Maria Akram, a freelance artist in the Philippines, and they worked together remotely to get the illustrations done.

Their self-published 36-page book came out last November.

Since then, Declan and his grandmother have gone to a number of book trade shows, where they've sold autographed copies of their book.

"I got enough money to get a skateboard," said Declan. "It was $100."

He's already thinking about his next project. 

"Another book on Nibbles," he said.

And Metz is already busy working on her second book — this time with Ava, who lives in Moose Jaw. 

"It's about a mischievous pet goat named Kenny," said Metz.

"The main character's mom wants to get rid of it because it's so mischievous. And the town of Moose Jaw rallies around and comes up with a solution."