The carpenter works in the carpentry shed. The carpenter makes furniture. He can polish furniture too. The carpenter can make roofs too. He works very hard. The carpenter uses wood and tools to work.

My best friend

By Senali Dias (Grade 7) Our Lady of Victories Convent, Moratuwa

My best friend is Ann Mahisha Dilakshani. She is 12 years old. She goes to Our Lady of Victories Convent. She is in Grade Seven. She has a little sister named Manelki. Her mother is Dilakshi.

Mahisha is very clever. She has got many certificates. She has one dog named Lucky. Her favourite subjects are Maths and Science. Her favourite colour is pink. She likes to wear pink dresses. Her favourite book is 'Harry Potter'.

She likes Hannah Montana a lot. Her favourite actress is Miley Cyrus. Manisha is a kind and good girl. She helps us all. She teaches us and explains the work to us in school. Her favourite sport is netball. She is on the netball team. Manisha's ambition is to be a doctor. She is the perfect best friend ever.

Autobiography of a pencil

By Senuri Dabarera (Grade 4), St. Lawrence's Convent, Wellawatte

aI am a pencil. I am very tall and colourful. My home is a nice pink pencil box. My owner is very fond of me. Her name is Shenadhi. She looks after me so well because she uses me only once a week. She never lends me to her friends.

I have many companions. They are the pens, pencils, erasers and sharpeners which Shenadhi takes to school. I am used only to draw and write in her Science book. She has scraped my head and
written her name there. Sometimes Shenadhi forgets and tramples me, which I dislike.

Shenadhi is an intelligent and neat girl. Her pencil box (my home) is usually very clean. Shenadhi has a very big study table. She keeps me in a drawer with her books. Her drawer is always neat. I am happy to be a pencil especially when I have such a neat and careful owner.

An accident

By Nafla Jisthy (Grade 6), Hejaaz International School

One day while I was waiting for a bus to go home, I saw a lorry speeding towards Nugegoda. I was wondering why it was in such a hurry. Suddenly, with a thundering sound, the lorry banged against a van coming from the opposite direction.

People ran to the scene. There was a big traffic jam. The occupants of the van were two girls and their mother. They appeared to be in great pain. The lorry driver was trying to flee but two young men prevented him. The women were rushed to the Kalubowila hospital. The police arrived and took the lorry driver into their custody. When my bus arrived, I got into it but I could not forget the scenes I saw.

Gotukola

By Thihansa Ranaweera (Grade 3), Musaeus College

Gotukola is green in colour. It is good for curing the disease 'Peenasa.' Gotukola is a creeper. It needs water to grow. It makes the garden beautiful. It is a herbal plant.

Gotukola is good for all of us because it gives nutrition and Vitamin C. We have to add Gotukola to every meal. It also gives us calcium. When we eat Gotukola we grow up healthy.

My worst day

By Nihara Wijeratne (11 years), St. Bridget's Convent

I was waiting to go to my new classroom to meet my teachers and friends. I was longing to go to Collegiate School. I packed my bag. I helped my mother to put the name tags and covers to my books and my brother's books. I woke early in the morning and got dressed.

When I went to school I was scared too, because it was not the Primary, it was Collegiate School! It was my first day in Grade Six. We had a new principal too.

That day in the morning at assembly it was announced that they had shuffled the children. I lost my best friend Eesha! I was in another class and my friends were in the other classes.

When we went to our respective classes, I was so sad because I lost my best friend. But I found new friends and my class teacher was so… kind and good. She reminded me of my Grade One teacher.

Although I lost my friends, my class teacher and our new principal are very kind and understanding. I'm learning to make new friends as well. Everyday in the interval, I meet Eesha and my other friends. We play together. I wish and pray that next year I will have my old friends back in the same class.

My favourite cartoon

By Aritha Rodrigo (Grade 3), Lyceum International School, Nugegoda

My favourite cartoon is 'Bolt'. It is about a dog. Its owner is a little girl called Penny. It thinks that it is a super-dog with super skills. But it doesn't know that it is only acting in a movie.

One day he runs away from the studio. Then a cat named Mitten comes and helps him to behave like a normal dog. The cat and a hamster called Rhino become Bolt's good friends. Finally the dog finds its friend Penny and they live happily ever after.

Myself

By Changa Malawige (Grade 3), Visakha Vidyalaya

My name is Changa
and I am a girl,
I am eight and I am bright
I am fair and have
long hair
I like carrots and parrots
And they are so nice.

I want to be a teacher
Then I can teach
I will wear a sari
Just like a fairy

I love my father
I love my mother
I love you all
Because I am small

My favourite book

By Nilanya De Silva (7 years), Royal Institute, Maharagama

My favourite book is 'Mickey Mouse and the Pet Show.' This story is all about a dog who can do anything that his master asks.

Mickey tells the boys, Morty and Ferdie that Pluto is not a show-dog. But Ferdie says that they can train and teach him to do tricks. Morty says, "Can't we please?"

"All right" said Mickey. "But only because it will help to raise money to build a shelter for stray animals.”
In the end of the story Pluto wins a medal. I love my book very much.

My hobbies

By Resitha Peiris (11 years), Royal College

My first hobby is badminton. It is a very important game. It has two players. It's played with two badminton
rackets and one shuttlecock. My school has a badminton court. I like badminton very much. My mother likes badminton. I have two badminton rackets and two shuttlecocks.

My next hobby is playing cricket. It has 11 boys. It's played with a bat and ball. My school has a cricket team. My school has a cricket ground. My country has a cricket team. My father can play cricket. I have a bat and ball. I can play cricket very well. My class teacher can play cricket. My friends can play cricket.

My next hobby is collecting stamps. My school has a stamp club. I have three stamp books. My sister has two stamp books. I go to the school stamp club. I have stamps of other countries. I like it very much. My mother and father and my sister help me. My friends have stamp books.

Teachers

By Keneesha Perera (6 years), Vihara Maha Devi B.V., Kiribathgoda

Teachers' Day is in the month of October. Teachers are like our parents. They are kind. They are very important to us. They look after us in school. They teach us many things. I love my teachers.

Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawala

By Dileepa Tissera (12 years), Ecole Internationale, Kandy

This was established in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, and later handed over to the National Zoological Gardens in 1982.

Pinnawala already houses around eighty-nine jumbos, thanks partly to a successful breeding
programme conducted by its staff.

The names of some female and male elephants are Vijaya and Kumari, Mathalie and Surangie. Kanaka, Sukumali, Udara and Dinudu are some of the baby elephants who were born at Pinnawala.

The space at Pinnawala will also be an issue with its population explosion, so the administrators are now looking at the possibilities of establishing the second such conservation centre.

There is a centre for breeding baby elephants at Pinnawala. There is a special location called 'Love Park' in an isolated corner for mother elephants. There are a few veterinary surgeons to look after the elephants' health. Jumbo babies are vaccinated for rabies, tetanus etc, like for human babies.

Adults as well as children including foreigners are attracted to Pinnawala because of its small playful jumbo babies.

Archaeological sites in Sri Lanka

By Wishmin Chamanga (Grade 8), Sussex College, Kurunegala

My country is a very beautiful country that the tourists visit. The archaeological sites attract most of these tourists. The ancient cities which are in ruins today had been the capitals of ancient kings.

Archaeological cities like Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Panduwasnuwara and Yapahuwa have many ruins. Archaeolgists believe that these ruins may be the ruins of palaces of ancient kings. My country has a heritage of over two thousand years. These cities had been very popular in the olden days.

Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura had been the most popular among them because many kings had lived and ruled in these cities. The other importance is that these cities were rich in natural resources, which added more beauty.

Therefore it is our paramount duty to safeguard these valuable sites and resources for our future generations.

A lotus speaks

By Parami Nawagamuwa (9 years), Girls' High School, Kandy

I am a lotus in the pond of the park. My colour is pink. I have a thick stem which is in the pond. I spread a
lovely smell all around me.

There are many other lotuses in the pond but people who come to see me say that I am the prettiest in the pond. My friends are the frogs, butterflies and dragonflies. The frogs in the pond speak to me when I am lonely.

Sri Lanka, my motherland

By Thanuja Damayanthi (12 years), St. Joseph's College, Bandarawela

My motherland is Sri Lanka. It is an island. It is situated in the Indian Ocean. There are many beautiful and interesting places in Sri Lanka.

Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa are some of the interesting places. Mahaweli is the longest river and Piduruthalagala is the highest mountain in Sri Lanka.

There are Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people living in Sri Lanka. They belong to different religions but we live peacefully. Many tourists from foreign countries visit Sri Lanka to see the beautiful places.

My motherland is very small but is has a long cultural history

My family

By Akmal Ahamed (Grade 1), Muslim M.M.V., Samanthurai

My family is good and small. My father's name is M.M.M. Sulfiyar. He is a teacher. My mother's name is Sareena. She is a teacher. I have two sisters Afnaan Suhaar and Afta Zainab.

My pet

By Wafa Thasleem (Grade 2), Hill Country International School, Madawala

My pet is a beautiful parrot. Its name is Chito. It can speak well. It likes to eat fruits very much. It's green in colour. Its beak is red. I love my pet very much.