Summary: “A Child’s Beauty” is Lesson 7 from the ASSEB (Assam State Board of Secondary Education) Class 7 English textbook Sunbeam English Reader II. The story is set in the court of the great Mughal Emperor Akbar and features his wise minister Birbal. Emperor Akbar is very happy because his son Salim has a young son — a grandson — and Akbar is extremely fond of him. Akbar keeps boasting that there is no child in the entire country more beautiful than his grandson. Hearing this, Birbal gently challenges him, saying that all parents find their own children very beautiful. The Emperor does not agree, so the ministers are asked to settle the matter by each bringing the child they consider the most beautiful. All the ministers bring different children to the court, but Birbal arrives without one. Birbal explains that he has found the most beautiful child in the entire country, but the child’s mother refuses to bring her to the court because she fears that strangers will cast an evil eye on her child. Intrigued, Akbar suggests they go to see the child in disguise. They travel to the village and find the child — an ordinary-looking child — playing on a heap of sand. When Akbar remarks that he has never seen a child uglier than this, the mother immediately gets furious, shouts at Akbar, and declares that her child is the most beautiful child God could have given her. She takes the baby inside and shuts the door. At that moment, Akbar realises the truth of Birbal’s wisdom: all parents find their own children beautiful, regardless of how others see them. The story teaches students that love is more powerful than outward appearance, and that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder — especially a parent’s eyes.
A. Understanding the Lesson
Activity 1: Match the following facts about the story
Match the following:
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Akbar | was the Emperor |
| Salim | was Akbar’s son |
| Birbal | was a minister in the court of Akbar |
| The young prince | was Salim’s son |
Activity 2: Rearrange the sentences in the order they happened in the story
Answer (Correct Order):
- Akbar said that no child was more beautiful than his grandson.
- Birbal said that all parents found their children very beautiful.
- Each minister brought a child to judge who was the most beautiful child.
- The mother did not let Birbal bring the child to the court.
- Akbar with his ministers went in disguise to see the child.
- They found a child playing on a heap of sand.
- Akbar said he had never seen a child uglier than this.
- The mother got angry when she heard Akbar’s words.
- The mother took the baby inside and shut the door.
- Akbar agreed with Birbal that all parents find their own children beautiful.
Activity 3: Answer the following questions
(a) Why was Akbar happy?
Answer: Akbar was very happy because his son Salim had a son — a grandson. The Emperor was extremely fond of his grandson and kept boasting that no child was more beautiful than him.
(b) Who used to say, “There is no child more beautiful than my grandson”?
Answer: Emperor Akbar used to say, “There is no child more beautiful than my grandson.” He was very proud of his grandson and believed him to be the most beautiful child in the entire country.
(c) Why did each minister bring a child to the court?
Answer: Each minister brought a child to the court so that they could judge for themselves which child was the most beautiful. Birbal had challenged Akbar’s claim that his grandson was the most beautiful, saying all parents find their children beautiful. To settle this, the ministers decided to bring children they considered beautiful and compare them.
(d) Why didn’t Birbal bring any child?
Answer: Birbal had found a child whom he considered the most beautiful in the entire country, but the child’s mother refused to let Birbal bring the child to the court. The mother feared that strangers would cast an evil eye on her child. Because of this, Birbal came to the court without a child.
(e) Why did Akbar and the ministers go in disguise to see the child?
Answer: Akbar and the ministers went in disguise to see the child because the child’s mother did not want strangers to visit her child, fearing the evil eye. Since she would not allow unknown people to come, Akbar and Birbal disguised themselves so that the mother would not recognise them and they could see the child without being stopped.
(f) Why did the mother scream at Akbar?
Answer: The mother screamed at Akbar because Akbar remarked that he had never seen a child uglier than her child. When the mother heard Akbar insulting her child by calling him ugly, she became furious and screamed at him in anger, declaring that her child was the most beautiful child God could have given her.
(g) What did Akbar realise at the end of the story?
Answer: At the end of the story, Akbar realised that Birbal was absolutely right — all children seem beautiful to their own parents. Just as the mother considered her child (who appeared ordinary or even ugly to others) the most beautiful, Akbar himself had been boasting about his grandson because of parental and grandparental love. He accepted Birbal’s wisdom that beauty is seen differently by each parent.
Activity 4: Who said what? Identify the speaker
| What was said | Speaker |
|---|---|
| “I have found a child who is the most beautiful child in the entire country.” | Birbal |
| “If this is so, we can go and see the child in disguise.” | Emperor Akbar |
| “He is the most beautiful child God could have given me.” | The mother of the child |
| “Then we can judge for ourselves.” | One of the ministers |
B. Word Meanings
| Word / Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fond of | having a great liking or affection for someone or something |
| boast | to talk with excessive pride about oneself or something one is associated with |
| minister | an important government official who advises and assists a ruler |
| court | the royal assembly or the place where the king and his officials meet |
| entire | whole; complete; all of it |
| refuse / refusing | to say no; to not agree to do something |
| cast an evil eye | to look at someone or something with envy or bad intentions, believed to bring harm |
| disguise | to change one’s appearance so as not to be recognised |
| heap of sand | a pile or mound of sand |
| stranger | a person who is not known or familiar |
| ugly | unpleasant to look at; not beautiful in appearance |
| screamed | shouted loudly, usually out of anger, fear, or excitement |
| furious | extremely angry |
| shut | to close something |
| realise | to become aware of or understand something clearly |
C. Grammar: Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives
Study the following table and fill in the missing forms of the adjectives used in the lesson:
Answer:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful |
| ugly | uglier | ugliest |
| angry | angrier | angriest |
| dirty | dirtier | dirtiest |
| big | bigger | biggest |
| happy | happier | happiest |
| important | more important | most important |
Note: For short adjectives (one syllable or two syllables ending in a consonant), we add -er (comparative) and -est (superlative). For longer adjectives (two or more syllables), we use more and most.
Use the adjectives in sentences (examples from the lesson):
- Positive: The child was playing on a heap of sand. He was a dirty child.
- Comparative: Akbar said he had never seen a child uglier than this one.
- Superlative: Birbal said he had found the most beautiful child in the entire country.
Identifying Clauses in Complex Sentences
In each of the following sentences, underline the subject and circle the finite verb (the main action word):
| Sentence | Subject | Finite Verb |
|---|---|---|
| He plays cricket every evening. | He | plays |
| She took an umbrella because it was raining. | She / it | took / was raining |
| Whoever came to the house was welcomed warmly. | Whoever came / (they) | was welcomed |
| After the minister arrived, Birbal closed the door. | the minister / Birbal | arrived / closed |
| Bananas look ripe but they are not ready to eat. | Bananas / they | look / are |
D. Vocabulary: Synonyms
Match each word with its synonym:
| Word | Synonym |
|---|---|
| beautiful | pretty / lovely |
| happy | glad / joyful |
| dirty | filthy / unclean |
| scared | afraid / frightened |
| disguise | to change one’s appearance |
| screamed | shouted / yelled |
| ugly | unattractive / unsightly |
| entire | whole / complete |
E. Let’s Discuss and Write
Activity: Complete the Dialogue
Read the dialogue and fill in the missing parts. Meera is telling her friends about a beautiful child she saw on her way to school:
Answer (Sample Completed Dialogue):
Meera: You know what! I saw the most beautiful little girl on my way to school today.
Adnan: What’s her name? Where did you see her?
Meera: Wait, wait! I’m telling you one thing at a time! Her name is Mayuri. I saw her near Eden Park.
Ranil: Do you know her?
Meera: No, I don’t know her. She was searching for her mother.
Asha: And then? What happened?