On the magical nights of July 28, 29 and 30, the Deanna School of Dancing transported the
audience to the magical lands of the Beast's castle and Belle's hometown where the story unfolded.

The Bishop's College auditorium was overflowing with liveliness and beauty as young people from the ages of 2 to 25 told the enchanting tale of 'Beauty and the Beast', with their feet.

In the story, Belle's father is captured by a Beast, but Belle saves him and takes his place as the Beast's prisoner. The Beast grows to like her and so do the household objects. Then Gaston, a man who loves Belle, plots against the Beast, and Belle realises that only true love can overcome the evil spell cast on the Beast.

I was a candle in the performance and though it was only a small part, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. As there were so many younger children, a garden scene was created so that they could all dance.

The production was made even lovelier by the costumes and the lively music. Parents and
children alike enjoyed themselves very much.

My mother

By Senuri Dabarera (9 years), St. Lawrence's Convent, Wellawatte

Mother is a person who looks after her children. So, my mother is like that and she is Aruni Dabarera.

Every morning my mother wakes me and my brother to study. While we study, our mother cooks for us. After that we dress in our uniforms and say our prayers. Then my mother takes us to wait for our school van.

I come home around 2 p.m. and after lunch my mother helps us with our homework. Then she takes us outside to run and exercise. Later we take a wash and eat our dinner. After that we sleep.

This is how I spend my day with my mother. She is a very good cook. My mother is a very busy mother. She looks after me and my younger brother.

My mother is strict when we are mischievous. My mother is the greatest gift from God. May Almighty God protect my mother.

I am snake bait

By Shashindi Vithanage (12 years), Bishop's College

I invited a friend one morning
We played an awful game
That was one morning I hated
A day full of shame

We started by counting dots,
Waiting till there was a one;
That led us to a field of snakes
Glittering in the bright yellow sun

We passed dozens of snakes
Who wait till we glide on their backs
We also saw ladders, parked
Like rescuers formed in a rack

We jumped every square we could
Until one snake took me
I glided down right to the end
There was no ladder to escape
or flee

I was shocked and shamed to believe it
I tore the papers to shatters
That's the last time I played
A game of Snakes and Ladders

My cousin sister's wedding

By Mealiza Rodrigo (7 years), Ladies College

My cousin sister's name is Tanya Daniel. She is 23 years old. She got married to a boy named Winston Joseph. They got married at St. Paul's Church, Milagiriya. After that they went to Hotel Kani Lanka in Kalutara and celebrated.

The wedding was held on June 25 and the homecoming was on June 27. The wedding planner was my mother and I was one of the flower girls.

The wedding group was in red and white. There were three bridesmaids, four flower girls, one bestman, one middle boy and three page boys. The youngest page boy was in a pram decorated with red and white gas balloons.

The bride was wearing a white dress with silver dust shoes and she looked like Cinderella. The groom was wearing a black suit with a silver waistcoat and a silver cravat.

The church and the hotel were decorated in red and white flowers. The couple first lit the oil lamp and then they cut the wedding cake. The first dance was with the groom. The second dance was with her father and the third dance was with her mother.

After that the bridesmaids and the flower girls did a group dance. After we all had dinner, it was time for the couple to leave. Her father, mother and brother cried a lot.

The cousins were unhappy too. But we all had fun before she went. I will not forget my cousin sister's wedding.

Holidays are almost over!

By Maheshi Fernando (11 years), Lyceum International School, Nugegoda

Everybody pack your bags!
Clean your book racks, polish your shoes.
Rest a little, pack your pencil case,
Put new covers to your books.

Arrange the necessary things
For the new Grade,
Make up your mind,
your gonna do better in your new Grade.

Create a new timetable
And include a clear daily routine
So have a busy time 'cause,
"The holidays are almost over!"

My great grandmother

By Iyadh Khan (7 years), Royal College

My great grand mother is Sithy Fathima. She is my mother's grandmother. She lives with us. She prays everyday. She is very old but she can remember everything. We all like Umamma very much.

My brother

By Shamima Ossen (10 years), St. Joseph's Girls' School, Nugegoda

My brother's name is Akram Ossen. He is three years old. His pet name is Akku. His birthday is on the 22nd of August. He likes to eat pizza, spaghetti and apples. He likes to drink fruit juice and milk.

His favourite movie is Spiderman. He has a Spiderman kit too. He mostly wears shorts and skinnies and T-shirts. He likes to play that we are fighting dragons, dinosaurs and sharks, going in his car, and going on a picnic in our home garden.

Sometimes he pulls my cupboard and pulls my books down. But however much naughty my brother is, I love him very much and he loves me too.

Value of newspapers

By Gimhani Waduge (Grade 9), Carmel Girls' C.C., Chilaw

We all know that newspapers are very common and useful. Through newspapers we gain knowledge and it is far better than internet or television.

In the 1940s, the television was invented by John Logie Baird. But newspapers were first printed in the 17th century by the Germans. All the people don't have internet facilities or television. They don't have enough money, but any person can buy a paper or borrow from another person, take it home and read it leisurely.

But you can't carry a television about. Sometimes you can't get internet connections to everywhere.

There is a saying "Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man and writing an exact man." This was said by the scientist and author Sir Francis Bacon. By writing to papers we can develop our writing skills. But we can't write to the television.

We have all heard that reading improves our creativity and by watching television children get lazy and their creative ability reduces.

So taking all these facts into consideration we can come to the conclusion that the newspaper is a very good and easy and also valuable source of gaining knowledge.

A sad day

By Ranaba Godakumbura (12 years), St. Sylvester's College, Kandy

On September 7, it was a sad day from me and my father because my mother left for Japan. She went there to get her studies well and done.

We saw the plane that she got in fly away to the air. She left at 7.20 a.m. She went to Malaysia and called us. She said that she is safe and really misses us.

I miss her too but I made up my mind because in two months I will see my mother again. I'll be waiting.

My father

By Harshana Gopallawa (7 years) Maliyadeva Boys College, Kurunegala

My father is Mr. Kavan Gopallawa. He is tall and fat. He works abroad. He is a Mechanical Engineer in the Royal Air Force of Oman.

He brings me a lot of toys and chocolates when he comes home. He plays with me. I love him very much. He loves his family, my mother, my sister and me.

My Finnish penpal

By Jayani Senathilake (14 years), Sumana B.V., Ratnapura

Meiju Mikkonen from Finland is the second person to write to me. Her birthday is on January 28, 1995. She is the same age as me. She is my best pal.

Meiji's hobby is travelling. She loves it. She loves south-east Asian countries; specially Sri Lanka, Thailand etc. She has a brother and a sister. Mei lives with her parents and she is still schooling.
She is very interested in Buddhism.

Meiju teaches me Finnish and Swedish and I teach her Sinhalese, Tamil and Japanese. We are good friends. I like Meiju a lot.

Predators

By Samith Ailapperuma (10 years), Trinity College, Kandy

Predators are animals that kill other animals for their food. They are lions, tigers,
crocodiles, snakes, wolves etc.

They use many methods to hunt their prey. Predators have more speed and intelligence than the other animals. Otherwise they will have to starve without food.

Predators have the same colour to match the environment they live in so that the other animals cannot see them.

Some predators are pack hunters but some are lone hunters. The predators are rarely
man-eaters. They never hunt animals unless they are hungry.

Big cats have a good scenting ability. Birds such as eagles have sharp eyesight. Snakes use their tongues to find where their prey is.

These predators help to maintain the balance of nature by reducing the amount of animals that are living.

My home town

By Lasni Balasooriya (Grade 6), Holy Family B. M. V., Kurunegala

My home town is Kurunegala. Kurunegala is a historic city. It is surrounded by seven rocks. There is a beautiful large lake close to the Kurunegala town.

There is a nice story about my home town's name. "Kurune" means an elephant with tusks and "Gala" in Sinhala means rock. The name "Kurunegala" formed by combining these two words. Earlier Kurunegala was known as Hasthishailyapura.

Kurunegala is a road centre. Because there are five main roads that lead to Colombo, Anuradhapura, Negombo, Kandy and Puttalam. Kurunegala is the commercial centre of the Kurunegala district.

It is also the administrative centre of the district. Kurunegala is in the coconut triangle area. There are many paddy fields in my home town.

Most of the people in Kurunegala are Sinhalese. Muslims and Tamils also live in this area.
There is a huge Buddha statue on the Elephant Rock. Lots of people come to worship this. When we go up the Elephant Rock we can see the view of the Kurunegala city as well as the lake.

There are many good schools including my school, Holy Family Balika Maha Vidyalaya. There is a clock tower built in the centre of the city. This was built in 1922. It was built in memory of
soldiers who died in World War I and World War II from the North Western Province.