Author, 11, donating book to St. Catharines library

Jonathan Vasilyev is a little guy with big ambitions.

After Amazon published his first picture book, “Sammy The Not So Scary Snake Finds a Friend,” he got straight to work on parts 2 and 3 — “Sammy The Not So Scary Snake Saves the Day” and “Sammy The Not So Scary Snake Gets Lost.”

He’s also soliciting Orca Book Publishers and Crabtree Publishing Books to publish a manuscript he wrote called “The Big Oak.”

He is 11 years old.

The Grade 7 Port Weller Public School student plans to donate a copy of his book to St. Catharines Public Library.

Vasilyev said he’s been painting and drawing since he was three years old. The walls of his St. Catharines home are adorned with some of his colourful paintings.

He loves reading, as well, a passion he attributes to his mother, who read to him often when he was younger, he said.

Vasilyev was home sick from school and grounded from his computer the day he wrote his first book.

“I decided to share the same joy with other kids in the world.”

Julia Vasilyev said she is proud not only because of her son’s obvious artistic talent, but because he’s managing everything by himself.

She chuckled when asked whether his artistic ability was passed down from her.

“No. We are not an artistic family.”

Vasilyev is considering a career as an author. Then again, he said he’s interested in a lot of other cool things — investing in precious metals, for example.

To classmates or other young people with big dreams, he suggests figuring out what you like to do and just go for it.

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