For the love of pencils
NATIONAL Pencil Day is celebrated on March 30.
We all probably first learnt to write, doodle and draw with a pencil.
But apart from the graphite pencils we use everyday, there are also charcoal pencils that artists use for sketching.
Colour pencils are now even more popular, with so many adults who are into colouring these days.
Here are Starchild readers’ drawings and letters on the topic: National Pencil Day. Eight-year-old Eliza Oznur Zainal Abidin prefers using recycled pencils as they are environmentally friendly. “I made my own set of recycled pencils from scrap wood and old newspapers. It is vital to always be green.”
Daania Rajaswaran, 10, loves to use Faber Castell pencils. “Faber Castell is the world’s largest pencil manufacturer. This company produces over 2.3 billion wood pencils a year worldwide.”
“Authors Earnest Hemingway and John Steinbeck used pencils to write their novels. I use my pencils to write short stories too,” writes Emmer Faith Palmer,11.
Younger sibling Elyza Palmer, nine, says, “One theory is that the word pencil comes from the Latin word pencillus, which means “little tail”. Another theory is that the word pencil is derived from the French pincel, meaning “little paintbrush”.
Kenesha Anne Isitor, 11, enjoys using her pencils. “Did you know that the first mechanical pencil factory was in England? It was destroyed in a bombing during World War Two.”
“Before the invention of erasers, writers and artists used bread crumbs to erase mistakes. I am thankful that pencils were invented as I love to write and colour,” writes younger sibling, Ethan Jude Isitor, 10.
Celest Mah, 10, loves her collection of pencils. “My pencils include mechanical pencils, carbon pencils and graphite pencils. I use them to write my essay and draw pictures.”
Elder sibling Victoria Mah, 13, uses a variety of pencils too. “The pencils that I have are 2B, B and H pencils. Also, it is said that the average pencil can draw a 56km line, although this has never been tested.”
ITEM: World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated annually on April 23. If you’re a bookworm, you would enjoy reading books by children’s authors such as Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl.
What are your favourite story books? Why do you like the stories? What have you learned from them? Don’t forget to send us a drawing too!
All letters must include your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below), gender, e-mail, phone number and address. Please write your name behind the drawing and the topic, My Favourite Storybook ,on the envelope. All letters must reach us by April 6. Send your letters to:
Starchild, c/o Star2
Star Media Group Bhd
Menara Star, 15, Jalan 16/11
46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
You can also e-mail your contributions to star2@thestar.com.my. Please put “STARCHILD” in the subject line of your e-mail. Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200 dpi.