✦An original tale about listening before acting
The Kind King
A king plans a grand gift for his town. A child and a water carrier help him discover a smaller change that people will use every day.
A story to read together
The Kind King
Take your time. Let the story unfold.
King Amar wanted to give his town a wonderful gift. He imagined a tall statue in the market square, with bright tiles around its feet. “Everyone will see it,” he told the palace gardener. The gardener looked at the drawing. “Perhaps,” she said. “Have you asked what the people who use the square would like?” Amar had asked builders about stone and painters about colour. He had not asked that.
The morning in the square
The next day, Amar visited the market without a parade. A water carrier named Lata was filling pots at the public tap. A child named Tara held a small cup beside her. “What would make this square better?” the king asked. Tara pointed at the high handle. “Grandma cannot turn that easily.” Lata showed him the cracked path beneath it. Carrying a full pot over the uneven stones was difficult. Neither of them mentioned a statue. Amar folded his drawing and listened some more.
Questions before promises
The king spoke to stallholders, children, and older neighbours. Some wanted a clear path. Others needed a resting place in the shade. The people who maintained the water supply explained what could be changed safely and kept clean. Amar brought their ideas to the town meeting. He did not promise to do everything by sunset. “Let us choose a useful first step,” he said. Together, they planned a repaired path and a lower tap with a handle that more people could use.
Trying the new handle
When the work was ready, the builders invited people to try it. Tara’s grandmother turned the handle and filled her cup. Lata carried a pot along the smooth path. One edge still caught the foot of her trolley, so the builders fixed it before packing away their tools. Amar noticed that listening did not end when a plan was drawn. People had to be able to point out what still failed. A gift was not finished just because its giver wanted to admire it.
The space without a statue
A month later, the square was busy with ordinary life. People filled bottles, rested, bought vegetables, and passed one another on the clear path. There was no towering statue in the middle. Amar sat beside Tara’s grandmother beneath a tree. “Will you build your grand gift somewhere else?” Tara asked. The king watched Lata turn the tap with one hand. “I think we have built our first useful gift here,” he said. Then he opened a fresh page in his notebook. “What should we listen for next?”
The end
After the final page
There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.
Why did the king put away his statue drawing?
Who helped decide how to improve the tap?
Why did people try the work before the builders left?
Make something: Choose a shared classroom corner. Ask two people what would make it easier to use, then draw a small change based on their answers.
