# The Royal Barber

- Link: https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/folk-tales-and-legends/the-royal-barber/
- Published: 2026-10-30T02:33:03+05:30
- Author: MAHENDRA MANCHIKALAPATI

[English Language Lab](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/)/[Stories for Kids](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/)/
[Folk Tales & Legends](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/folk-tales-and-legends/)/
The Royal Barber

✦An original palace tale

# The Royal Barber

A hurried king asks his barber for a perfect haircut. The most useful thing the 
barber offers is a moment to stop and listen.

📖 4-minute read🍃 Ages 5–11✨ Patience and respectful communication

[Begin reading ](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/folk-tales-and-legends/the-royal-barber/#sf-story-text)
[More folk tales & legends](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/folk-tales-and-legends/)

![A royal barber and a grey-haired king talk calmly in a sunlit palace room, with
a comb, closed scissors, and a mirror nearby.](https://thecuriosi.com/wp-content/
uploads/2026/10/royal-barber-illustration.png)

**A little patience in the palace**Read together · Retell · Imagine

Settle in and read at your pace

A story to read together

## The Royal Barber

Take your time. Let the story unfold.

King Dev had filled his morning with more appointments than anyone could comfortably
manage. Messengers waited at the door, papers covered his table, and he was already
late when the royal barber arrived. “Make me look perfectly neat,” the king said,
settling into the chair. “And do it before the next bell.” The barber, Nalin, laid
out his clean tools and asked how the king wanted his hair trimmed.

Chapter one

### Too many instructions

“Short, but not too short,” the king replied. “And tidy around the ears. And perhaps
make the grey less noticeable. Why have you not begun?” Nalin kept his scissors 
closed while he listened. “I can give you a neat trim,” he said. “But I need to 
understand what would feel comfortable to you. I cannot give back the years by cutting
your hair.” The king frowned at the mirror. Then a messenger entered with another
question. The king turned sharply, and Nalin stepped back so that everyone remained
safe.

Chapter two

### The barber’s request

“Your Majesty,” Nalin said, “may I ask for one quiet minute?” The king looked surprised.
Few people asked him to slow down. Nalin explained that the haircut would go better
if the king could sit comfortably and answer one question at a time. The king sent
the messenger to wait outside. The room became still enough to hear birds beyond
the window. Nalin showed him where he proposed to trim and waited for a clear answer.“
Yes,” the king said at last. “That is what I wanted, but I had not explained it 
well.”

Chapter three

### Another kind of work

As Nalin worked, the king asked why the quiet minute had helped so much. “When people
are hurried and worried, they may guess instead of asking,” the barber replied. “
Then you can lose more time putting a mistake right.” The king thought of the papers
on his table. Earlier, he had given three different instructions about the same 
village path. His advisers had nodded, but had any of them understood which instruction
mattered? He asked Nalin to finish at a careful pace. The next bell could wait.

Chapter four

### A neater morning

When the haircut was done, the king looked in the mirror. His hair was tidy, his
grey was still there, and his shoulders no longer felt so tight. At the next meeting,
he invited the messenger to explain the village question from the beginning. He 
listened, asked what was unclear, and gave one decision that everyone could repeat
back. Nalin returned to his small room with his tools. He had not changed the king’s
age or solved every palace problem. But a simple request for patience had made room
for better work—and a kinder conversation.

The end

### Story path

[01Too many instructions](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/folk-tales-and-legends/the-royal-barber/#sf-chapter-too-many-instructions)
[02The barber’s request](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/folk-tales-and-legends/the-royal-barber/#sf-chapter-the-barbers-request)
[03Another kind of work](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/folk-tales-and-legends/the-royal-barber/#sf-chapter-another-kind-of-work)
[04A neater morning](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/folk-tales-and-legends/the-royal-barber/#sf-chapter-a-neater-morning)

### Word basket

**appointment**an arranged time to meet or do something

**trim**to cut a small amount away to make something neat

**clarify**to make something easier to understand

**patient**able to give something the time and care it needs

**Read it together**

This is an original folktale-style story. Talk about asking clear questions and 
making it safe for others to say they do not understand. Growing older is ordinary;
the king does not need to hide his grey hair to deserve respect.

## After the final page

There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.

Remember

Why did Nalin keep his scissors closed at first?

Think

What changed after the king allowed a quiet minute?

Imagine

What could you say politely when an instruction is confusing?

**Make something:** Write or draw a “pause and ask” card with two useful sentences,
such as “Could you explain that again?” and “Is this what you mean?”

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