The Brave Girl Who Became Queen

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Esther. Her mommy and daddy had died when she was little, so her big cousin Mordecai took care of her. He loved her like she was his own daughter.

Esther and Mordecai lived in a land called Persia, far from their homeland. A very powerful king named Ahasuerus ruled there. He lived in a beautiful palace with lots of gold and jewels.

One day, the king's wife, Queen Vashti, did something that made the king very angry. He said she couldn't be queen anymore.

The king's helpers said, 'Let's find you a new queen! We'll bring the most beautiful young women in the kingdom to the palace, and you can choose the best one!'

Esther was one of the young women brought to the palace. She was very beautiful and very kind. Everyone who met her liked her! The man in charge of all the young women gave Esther the best room and the nicest helpers.

For a whole year, Esther got special beauty treatments and wore fancy clothes. Then it was time to meet the king.

When King Ahasuerus saw Esther, he loved her more than anyone else! He put a royal crown on her head and made her the new queen! There was a big celebration throughout the whole kingdom.

Esther kept a secret, though. Mordecai had told her not to tell anyone she was Jewish. She obeyed him.

Mordecai stayed nearby, working at the king's gate. One day, he heard two bad men planning to hurt the king! Mordecai quickly told Esther, and she told the king. The bad men were caught, and the king was safe. The king wrote down in his special book that Mordecai had saved his life.

Esther didn't know it yet, but God had a very important job for her to do. He had made her queen for a special reason!