On a large, shiny lily pad in the middle of the pond sat Quino.
The sun shimmered on his green skin, his back was perfectly straight, and his chin lifted proudly.
Like a true prince, he gazed over his pond.

But something wasn’t right.

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He touched the top of his head with his paw and gasped.
No crown!

“What a disaster!” he cried, tumbling backward into the water.

With a splash, he popped back up.
“A prince without a crown is like a lily without a pad!”

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Quino climbed onto the shore, gave himself a good shake, and straightened his imaginary royal cloak.
He held his scepter—a curly stick—firmly in his paw.
With a confident stride, he marched into the forest in search of his crown.

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He looked under stones, between blades of grass, and even inside an empty snail shell.
Along the way, he just couldn’t help but startle a sleeping squirrel and ran off giggling.

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Before long, he heard rustling above him.
Roo was swinging from branch to branch and landed on the ground with a soft thump.

“Hi Quino! Want to play?” he asked.

“Sorry, Roo. I don’t have time today,” Quino sighed.
“I’ve lost my crown. Have you seen it?”

Roo tapped his fluffy paw against his chin and thought for a moment.
“Nope, haven’t seen a crown. Want me to help you look?”

Together, they continued the search.

Roo looked high up in the trees, while Quino searched along the ground.
He laughed as he startled an ant off a twig and pushed a hedgehog’s snout into a muddy puddle.
Then he darted off again—still crownless.

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When they reached a sunny clearing, they found Toby lying in a warm patch of sunlight.

“Toby?” Quino whispered, tickling his nose with a blade of grass.
Toby sneezed loudly and opened one eye.

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“Have you seen my crown?”

Toby yawned and rolled onto his back.
“No, but I’ll look for it in my dreams.”
Not a second later, he was snoring again.

Roo and Quino giggled.

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“Oh, hello Roo, Quino.”

The two friends turned around and saw Millie.
She was carrying a basket full of flowers.

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“Hi Millie! Have you seen Quino’s crown among the flowers?” asked Roo.

Millie looked at Quino and shook her head.
“No, but I have something even better. Wait here.”

With skilled paws, Millie began weaving her flowers into a brand-new crown.
She placed it gently on Quino’s head and gave a shy smile.

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Quino leapt with joy and performed a royal somersault.
“This one’s even better than the last!” he declared.

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Together, they all sat down in the grass.
Millie braided blossoms into Toby’s tail, Roo tried to balance on his head,
and Quino sat proudly between them, his new flower crown resting on his head.

​

He made himself a royal promise:
he would never lose this crown