L E M N I S C A A T

F R E YA H A R TA S

Copyright © 2016 by Lemniscaat, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsFirst published in The Netherlands under the title Kleine Kong

Text & illustration copyright © 2016 by Freya HartasAll rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or byany means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in

writing from the publisher.

First published in the United States and Canada in 2016 by LemniscaatUSA LLC • New York

Distributed in the United States by Lemniscaat USA LLC • New York

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.ISBN 13: 978‑1‑935954‑47‑7 (Hardcover)

Printing and binding: Worzalla, Stevens Point, WI USAFirst U.S. edition

Voor mijn vader, die al mijn eindeloze vragen en gedoe heeft doorstaan

Esmeralda was a very naughty little girl.

“ U G H !Esmeralda you’ve made a terrible mess of my flowerbeds.”

“Don’t chew with your mouth full Esmeralda!”“Don’t run Esmeralda!

Walk like a lady.”

Esmeralda drew on the expensive wallpaper and made dens with

her mother’s designer dresses.

” YO U G H A S T LY G I R L ! ” shouted her mother for the hundredth time.

“If you won’t behave we’ll send you to a desert island to learn some manners!”

That night Esmeralda dreamed of of savage pirates and mermaids with long wavy hair. She heard rustling sea and shrieking seagulls.

The next morning Esmeralda foundherself building a sandcastle on a

desert island beach.

A huge hairy shape flew in from nowhere.

“ YO U H O R R I B L E A N I M A L , ”cried Esmeralda. “Look at what you have done!

I’m hungry. M A K E M EB R E A K FA S T ! ”

“Yeah, whatever … Where’s my breakfast?” said Esmeralda.

R O A R R ! ! !

Wiggly worms, slimy snails and crunchy beetles were what

the Gorilla found for her.

“You ghastly Gorilla!” tittered Esmeralda “I think youneed to learn some manners.”

She learned the Gorilla to eat nicely with knife and fork. She showed him how to drink

politely from a glass.

She taught him how to walk like a true gentleman.And she told him that he always had to clean up his mess.

“Look at you!” said Esmeralda.“You do fine for a Gorilla.”

“My bedroom at home is always neat,” she lied.

But when Esmeralda turned her back, just for one second,

the Gorilla began to pick his nose.

“ W H AT A R E YO U D O I N G ! ? Have you learnt nothing?”

“ GA H H R R ” growled the Gorilla

GRRAHHH! ! !

RAAAHHH! ! !

“ R R R H H H ” growled Esmeralda

BOOOOOM ! ! ! ! !

All animals were furious because Esmeralda andthe Gorilla had awakened the volcano. Their

houses were completely destroyed.

Luckily, Esmeralda got a good idea, “ I’m really good at making dens,” she said.

“Tomorrow we will make a lovely new home for everyone in the jungle, and the Gorilla will make us breakfast.”

The next day they went to work. And as befits it became an awful lot of mess and hullabaloo!

They worked from early morning till late evening.

And the Gorilla organized a feast — a breakfast that was ready just in time for supper.

“This is the best tree house I've ever made,”Esmeralda said with satisfaction.

“Even better than at home.”

At that moment, a neat little boat appeared on the horizon.The Gorilla

tied his bow tie.

When Esmeralda's parents came ashore, the Gorilla bowed his head politely and kissed her mother on the hand.

“Oh, what a gentleman!” she fluttered.

That evening Esmeralda had a huge jungledinner with all her new friends, who were justas naughty and unladylike as she was… “This is where I belong,” she thought.

The Esmeralda parents were so impressed with the well mannered Gorilla

that they took him home. Esmeralda stayed in her tree housewith all her new friends.Everyone lived happily ever after.

Well ... almost everyone.