NADINE ABULENCIA, 7, BEIJING BISS SCHOOL

I speak Filipino, English and a little Chinese. I like to play tag ('it' in British English). And I like study, because I think it can make me smarter. I also like riding horses. I like McDonald's and pizza, because I think it's yummy. My best friend is Jessica. I just like her. Oh, I also like Miss Ebdon and Alexi. When I grow up, I want to be a teacher, because a teacher can teach things. I think I will grow up at 22.

NICOL LO, 5, BEIJING BISS SCHOOL

I have been at this school three years. The school is nice. I like it here. I can speak Cantonese and English. My favorite food is McDonald's, because my best friend Tracy's father works there. I like Tracy because we always play games together. She comes to our house. My favorite activities are reading books and watching cartoons. When I grow up, I would like to be a police woman and fight the bad guys.

ELEANOR WEATHERITT, 11, YEW CHUNG BIS SCHOOL

I have stayed in Beijing for two and a half years. There is a great difference between Beijing and my hometown. There are a surprising number of temples in Beijing, such as the Temple of Heaven. I think they are very beautiful. On Children's Day, my parents didn? take me out somewhere interesting, because we don't observe it in my country.

I like Beijing food, and my favorite is egg-fried tomato. Both my parents are working in Beijing. I like my parents about the same. I have no idea what I am going to do when I grow up.

I like swimming and computing. Among the courses at my school, I like drama and science best. I can gain interesting knowledge in these two courses. Most of the courses here are quite interesting.

I regard Beijing as my home and I don't miss my home in England. I also keep some beautiful birds at home, and they can keep my company.

My ideal place is the Philippines, because there are many beautiful and hot beaches there.

My mum took a photo for me in Vietnam. Vietnam is also a beautiful place with hot beaches.

MA WENPENG, 8, CHANGQIAO SCHOOL, FROM BEIJING

I am eager to greet the coming of Children's Day. I can ask my parents to take me to the Beijing Aquarium or Wild Animals Park. I like animals so much, especially dogs, because they are loyal, friendly, fierce and aggressive.

I like to go to school, where I can learn a lot of things and play with my friends. Football and basketball are my favorites and I am the captain of my class football team. I love computer lessons, but not English. No reason why, just don't like it.

Although I cannot always get good marks in my examinations, I still think examinations are necessary. They push me forward. I love my parents, but I'm a little bit afraid of my father. If I make some serious mistakes, he will spank me.

When I grow up, I want to be a computer hacker. That's way cool. If I can't be that, I'm like to be a successful businessman or an astronaut.

I like McDonald's and KFC, especially the toys they offer.

I have a very very good friend, although he is more handsome and clever than me. Our friendship has lasted since kindergarten. We share happiness and face difficulties together, and most importantly, he understands me.

KANG NAIYAO, 11, YUYING SCHOOL, FROM BEIJING

Although Children's Day has no special meaning for me, I still like it. Maybe I like the atmosphere that day. I can stay at home, watch TV, do my homework, and nobody will disturb me.

I like school. I can gain knowledge as well as friends there. All my friends are good at studying and keen readers. We have a lot of the same stuff to talk about. I like math and English. I hate science and technology because the teacher is too old, too out of touch with "high-tech".

I don't enjoy exams, but I do appreciate their necessity. Examination lets me and my classmates know our place in class.

I love my grandmother very much as she is so nice and never says 'no' to me. I'm afraid of my mother as she can be very strict.

I would like to be a lawyer or doctor when I am old enough, but I don't think I am careful enough to be a doctor. Anyway, I don't want to be a teacher. It is so boring to spend your entire life with kids isn't it?

Calligraphy and painting are my hobbies, and so I spend most of my spare time on that. I enjoy Jackie Chan movies and A-mei songs. KFC chicken is my favorite, but the toys at McDonald's are better.

DANNIS BLATT, 6, BEIJING BISS SCHOOL

I speak German, Korean, English and Chinese because my father is German and my mother is Korean. I like Domino's pizza very much,

because it is in Asian Games Village. Because I like Asian Games, so I like Domino's pizza.

My best friend is Quan. From the name you can see he is Chinese. We always play Pokeman cards together. I like skiing very much. I once won a medal for it. I came third. I almost got second or first. But I'm still proud, because the kids who came fourth and fifth only got fake medals. When I grow up, I want to be a policeman, because they stick the evil guys in jail.

EERIK TIRKKONEN, 9, BEIJING BISS SCHOOL

Lauri (see overleaf) is my twin brother. I'm only 25 minutes older than him. Potatoes are my favorite food. It's hard to say who are my favorite persons. I like computers. I also like Mrs. Peters and myself. When I grow up I want to be a fossil finder, a dinosaur fossil finder. Because I like fossils. My favorite activity is doing homework. I don't find study boring. I like studying. I think it's important to learn everything.

JESSICA GAO, 8, BEIJING BISS SCHOOL

My father and mother are all Chinese, and so we speak Chinese at home. We speak Chinese and English at school. I like my mother, father, Nadine, myself, Miss Ebdon and Wendy. I want to do what my dad does when I grow up. You'll have to ask him what he does. I like riding my bicycle and riding horses. I don't know where I can ride horses in Beijing. My favorite place is America. My favorite food is milk chocolate.

LAURI TIRKKONEN, 9, BEIJING BISS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

I speak Finnish, English and Chinese. I like computers, although I don't use it quite often. What do I want to be? I like to play computers, it's interesting. I think 20 is the age I'll grow up. Favorite persons? I like myself and my computer. For food, I like macaroni. Of course my favorite place to go is Finland.

SERENE WONG, 10, YEW CHUNG BIS SCHOOL

I started Chinese lessons in Shanghai International School, and by now I have been in Beijing for one year. Although my mother is working in Canada, I don't miss home very much. I like staying in Beijing.

In our school, we have many fun and interesting courses, including computing, math, English, Chinese, science, reading, drama, handwriting, music and sports. My favorite courses are drama and computing.

I like the food in Beijing, especially Peking duck. I have many hobbies, such as swimming, reading and stamp collecting. I have some pets such as a dog and terrapin.

My favorite place is Florida, USA. I like the climate there. Compared to Canada, it is warmer and more humid. I will do nothing exciting on Children? Day, because in Canada we never celebrate this festival.

Look at my photo. I took it in Hong Kong. You are wrong if you think I was at my birthday party. I was a flower girl at a wedding ceremony.

CLAUDIA DEGLI ALESSAN, 8, BEIJING BISS SCHOOL

I speak Chinese, Italian, French and English. I want to be a farmer in the future. Because I like animals. My favorite persons? I like Anni, Ana Karina, my mother, my father, my cousins and myself. I like to eat everything. All food. Study I don't really like. Because I think it's boring. I hate especially math. It? so boring. I like camping, swimming, hiking and going to the beach.

ANA KARINA MORAIS, 8, BEIJING BISS SCHOOL

I speak Portugese and English. I like Claudia, my mother, brother, father, auntie, cousins and Phyllis. I want to be a doctor and a person who makes medicine. Because they save people? lives. My favorite activity is playing playstation with my brother. My favorite food I'm sure you don't know. It's called Piccanha, a Brazilian food. I don't like studying. I think it's boring. But I like art. I enjoy artclass very much. My favorite place to go is back to my country Mozambique.

RUI YANG ANG, 9, YEW CHUNG BIS SCHOOL

I have been in Beijing four years and three years at this school. I like this school because it easier to make friends. For this year's Children's Day, if I could decide, I would rather stay at home. Because we just had a long 15-day holiday.

Usually my parents tell me what to do. I love to play computer games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I like war games, like "Starcraft". I like reading interesting books about bugs, science and the military. I like to do one kind of homework, like some kind of project. You need to find out information about things. I get mine from the Internet, books and TV. I started using the Internet when I was 9.

I love to watch football on TV. I play in our school team as a defender sometimes. Sometimes we get angry with each other.

I don't like exams, because I always get frustrated with myself after I realize I made a mistake. I have two friends in Singapore, Brian and Bertrian. Here I have more friends like Zhang Jingpei, Liu Guobin, Zhao Shuo, Wei Hua.

I want to be like my father in the future. He is hard working. He is chief representative of GIC in Beijing.

I like Beijing, because we have a bigger home here, and in Singapore we only had a flat. I also like Singapore, because it is my home country and my grandparents and cousins are there. I can borrow library books anytime I want. Oh, about food. I like potato chips, French fries, hamburgers with tomato ketchup.