Hans Christian Anderson

Hans Christian Anderson was born in Denmark in 1805. He was the son of a poor shoemaker. His father died when he was 11 years old. Then he attended the city school for the poor. When he was 14 years, he went looking for a job. He nearly starved without money to buy food. Later, he got a royal scholarship to study.

He wrote 168 fairytales and folktales. They are simple and humorous stories. Some of the tales are ‘Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘The Tinder-box’, ‘The Travelling Companions’. ‘The Ugly Duckling’ is very popular among children and adults. He died in 1875.

If I were a Tabby cat

By Mithahasinee Ratnayake (Grade 4), Ladies College

If I were a Tabby cat, I would be a cat called Bibi. I would wear a silky ribbon on my ears. I would eat fresh fish most of the time. In the afternoon, I would watch my owner Sally, do her studies. In the night, I would curl up beneath her legs and go to sleep. I would dream wonderful dreams. I would feel a soft hand
touching my fur. Then I hear a voice shouting, “Wake up Bibi, time for breakfast!” Then I would know that a new day has begun.

Sports

By Permy Menusha (14 years), Good Shepherd Convent

Everyone loves to play, even small children and old ones. Younger children especially love sports. There are different types of sports. In Sri Lanka, the most popular sport is cricket. Other than that netball,
volleyball, tennis, badminton and rugby are popular.

Some sports improve our brain. Chess, drafts and scrabble are some of them. The national sport of
Sri Lanka is volleyball. The sport that I like the best is netball. Listening to others carefully, expressing our ideas with them, working patiently with them, are all some of the abilities that sports gives us.

The personality I admire

By Nethmi Vithanage (Grade 7), Wycherly Int. School

The personality I admire is my mother. She is a very different but interesting person compared with other people. My mother’s name is Priyanga. She just turned ‘naughty forty’ years old, but still looks young and pretty. She is a housewife. Everyday she cooks for us in the morning, dresses my two little brothers and takes us to school. In the afternoon she picks us from school and gives us her yummy lunch.

She works really hard and makes us study a lot to get good marks. If we tell her that we want something, she gets it for us no matter what. Not that she is spoiling us but because she loves us a lot.

My mom is very talented. She can draw and paint very well. She can sing as well as dance. She is very intelligent and smart. She would get sad and upset if we got low marks, because she cares about us. So I work very hard on my studies to make her very happy.

My mother is very thoughtful, sweet and kind, and enjoys every happy moment. She has very good taste in fashion. She likes to chill out with her friends and she has lots of friends.

She is a very loving wife to my father. She is the best in every way, whether being a mother, wife, friend or anything else. I love my mother more than anything. She is the world to me.

Are plants essential?

By Amandi Alahakoon (11 years), Methodist College

Yes, plants are
necessary for us to live. They supply oxygen.
If there are no plants
existing, then we would have died centuries before.
Plants supply us with furniture, medicines, food, add beauty to the
environment and protect the water resources.
It is good to have trees
growing in our gardens
as it prevents the dust from entering our houses.
Trees prevent soil erosion and we can minimize
landslides and floods.
Let’s grow at least one plant.