✦An original tale of a thoughtful princess
The Clever Princess
Princess Ila is asked to settle a village argument about water. Her cleverest choice is to listen before she announces an answer.
A story to read together
The Clever Princess
Take your time. Let the story unfold.
In a small kingdom, a village shared water from one reservoir. The farmers needed it for their fields, the potters needed it to prepare clay, and every family needed water at home. During a dry month, neighbours began blaming one another whenever a channel ran low. The king asked Princess Ila to hear their concerns. She took a notebook, walking shoes, and a promise to look carefully.
Everyone had a reason
At the village meeting, the farmers asked for more water in the morning. The potters said that a thin trickle reached their work area by midday. Families at the far end of the village said their containers were sometimes still empty at supper. “Give everyone the same number of minutes,” one adviser suggested. Ila nearly agreed. Then an elderly potter raised her hand. “The farthest channel takes longer to fill,” she said. “The same time may not bring the same amount.” Ila closed her notebook and asked to walk along the channels with them.
The missing water
The group followed the water from the reservoir. Near the first field, they found a cracked section where water seeped away. Farther on, fallen leaves blocked a narrow bend. At the village edge, one channel sloped unevenly and filled only slowly. The neighbours stopped accusing one another and began pointing out what they could see. Ila asked the people who maintained the channels to inspect the problems. She also asked each group how much water its essential daily work actually required.
A model made of clay
Back in the courtyard, the potter brought a shallow tray of clay. Together they made a small model of the reservoir and its branches. The water workers used it to explain where repairs were needed. The villagers suggested a schedule that gave households dependable water first and shared the remaining supply according to measured needs. Farmers agreed to check for waste. Potters planned batches of clay together. Ila did not pretend the dry weather would disappear. The plan had to respect the water they really had.
The cleverest part
Over the following days, skilled workers repaired the damaged channels. Neighbours helped clear leaves, checked the schedule, and reported problems without shouting. A weekly meeting gave everyone a chance to suggest changes. When Ila returned, the elderly potter greeted her beside the flowing channel. “What was the cleverest part of your answer?” the king later asked. Ila thought of the walk, the clay tray, and all the useful things the villagers had noticed. “I did not arrive with the whole answer,” she said. “I asked questions that helped us find it together.”
The end
After the final page
There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.
Why might equal amounts of time fail to give equal amounts of water?
What did the group discover by walking beside the channels?
What question could help people understand a disagreement better?
Make something: Draw a shared resource, such as a garden or classroom book corner. Add three different needs and a fair plan for listening to everyone.
