TEN talented winners received a purr-fect prize for their drawings of a cat in our Animal Art competition.

Copies of Dorling Kindersley's I Can Draw Fantastic Animals or I Can Draw Amazing Faces went to the lucky winners.

Look out for lots more NIE competitions next week.

Well done to the following winners of this competition: E Barker, Great Harwood; Stacey Brandwood, 12, Blackburn; Laura Gorst, 12, Clitheroe; Robert Holden, 10, Accrington; Gretel Jackson, 13, Mellor; P Kennedy, nine, Blackburn; Simon Keogh, 11, Belthorn; Andrew Riley, 10, Blackburn; Leonie Robbins, 13, Rishton; Andrew Woodworth, eight, Accrington.

Looking back on how we used to live

NEXT week, NIE will be featured every day in our newspaper as we link up with over 60 schools working on our local history projects.

A team of teachers have taken a trip back in time delving into our newspaper archives spanning over 110 years.

In addition to around 2,500 copies of the 'Spotlight on the Century' supplement which will be used in classrooms throughout the autumn term, the same schools will receive copies of our newspaper during October 6-10.

For the past five years we have produced a special text book-style supplement for our local schools during the first week of October. A different school subject has benefited from this additional material each year and this year our theme is local history.

Competitions and local history features will be published every day, Monday to Friday, giving youngsters in school and at home a flavour of Lancashire life in the past and offering more great prizes to our winning schools.

Book reviews

THIS week's book reviewers are from year 5 at St Barnabas CE Primary School, Darwen. Pupils at the school have recently completed our Story Search reading scheme and, like all schools taking part in the project, have been offered free books for review. All the books are from the Yellow Banana Book series, published by Heinemann at £4.99 each. If your school would like details of our Story Search reading scheme and free books write to our NIE address or phone 01254 678678 ext 255.

PRINCESS CINDERELLA AND HER WICKED SISTERS, by Emma Tenant

THIS is a thin, hard-backed book with a lot of pictures in. The story's main characters are the two ugly sisters. The adventure begins where the old story ends.

This is a bit like the original story, with a grand ball, but the baIlroom is a tent made up of a thousand sleeping butterflies.

I enjoyed reading this story. I liked the pictures, but the best part was at the end when Cinderella and the prince wash up five thousand glasses, five thousand plates and a million knives, forks and spoons! What happens to the ugly sisters? You will have to read this yourself to find out.

Matthew Eastham (aged eight)

THE SURPRISE PARTY, by Mary Hooper

THIS is a thin, hard-backed book. It has nice pictures, some are as big as the page and others are small. The main character is Izzy who gets worried but she does not show it. Most of the story takes place in Izzy's school. It starts in school where she gets fed up. She really wants to go to a party because everyone was having one.

The story makes you not want to stop reading it. It is an exciting story. I enjoyed it very much.

Rebekah Hawthornthwaite (aged eight)

A FINE FEATHERED FRIEND, by Jamila Gaven

RAJU is about ten years old and comes from India. He spends a holiday on a farm and finds it very boring so he decides to scare a big black hen. He finds an egg and waits until it hatches. Then he starts to like all animals. I enjoyed this because it is about farm animals. This book is not too long and is quite colourful.

Marc Pemberton (aged eight)

SOME BIRTHDAY PRESENT, by Elizabeth Dale

A YOUNG boy who usually gets amazing birthday presents from his Auntie Georgiana was disappointed this time!

At first he thought it was just paper ... but it wasn't. I'll not give the story away but,in the end, Henry thought the present was some present indeed! I like the book because the paper is magic. I wouldn't mind a present like this.

The part with the head teacher and the teddy bear is funny. To find out more you must read this book.

Sarah Perry (aged eight)

THE TALE OF THE TERRIBLE TEETH, by Hazel Townson

THIS is a hard backed book, with plenty of colourful pictures.

The story takes place when Gary is on holiday with his family in Egypt. The adventure starts in the bedroom which he shares with his grandpa at the Fuzzy Fez Hotel. The fun really starts when grandpa loses his false teeth. He buys a new pair from the bizarre bazaar. But these are no ordinary teeth. If you want to find out more, you will have to read the book.

We all enjoyed the book. It was very funny. Each chapter had an exciting ending that made you want to know what happened next.

Class 5 (ages eight to nine)

DOROTHY'S GHOST, by Herbie Brennan

DOROTHY comes from a small town, but she has a big secret. She lives with her mum and her dad, who is a boxer who is going to be on TV.

They all live in a big house where she finds her secret - the ghost of herself.

Dorothy becomes friends with her ghost and they play at dressing up together in the attic. She discovers that the ghost was trying to prevent a fire disaster. I enjoyed the book. I liked Dorothy and the ghost. My favourite part was when Dorothy met the ghost. After I read the first page I got really interested. I took the book home and I didn't put the book down until I'd finished it.

Sophieanne Lovelace (aged eight)

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.