- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Algonquin Books; Tra edition (Sep 17 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1565124421
- ISBN-13: 978-1565124424
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 14.9 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.4 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #282,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Janusz Korczak was a Polish physician and educator who wrote over twenty books--his fiction was in his time as well known as Peter Pan, and his nonfiction works bore passionate messages of child advocacy. During World War II, the Jewish orphanage he directed was relocated to the Warsaw ghetto. Although Korczak's celebrity afforded him many chances to escape, he refused to abandon the children. He was killed at Treblinka along with the children. King Matt the First, one of Korczak's most beloved tales, is the story of a boy who becomes king and sets out to reform his kingdom. He decrees that all children are to be given a piece of chocolate at the end of each day. He visits faraway lands and befriends cannibal kings. Whenever his ministers tell him something's impossible, he puts them in jail. He disguises himself as a soldier and becomes a hero. But, as in real life, fantasy is tempered by reality:Matt's fellow kings become jealous of his success--and in the end, Matt falls, although it's clear that he was the greatest king there ever was. Now this rediscovered classic is available again, and with a vibrant new cover by award-winning artist Brian Selznick. This timeless tale shows that only through the honesty and spontaneity of children can grown-ups begin to imagine and to create a better world.
About the Author
Janusz KorczakK wrote the classic childrens book King Matt the First and many nonfiction works. To mark the centennial of Korczaks birth, the United Nations declared 1979 the International Year of the Child and dedicated it to him. Korczak perished in 1942 in Treblinka, along with the Jewish orphans he refused to abandon.
Esme Raji Codell is a teacher and children's literature specialist at an elementary school in Chicago. Her public radio feature based on this diary was awarded First Prize for National Education Reporting from the Education Writers Association. She is also the recipient of the Dr. Peggy Williams Award for outstanding new teacher in the field of reading and language arts, given by the Chicago chapter of the International Reading Association. Esme lives in Chicago with her husband and son.
Esme Raji Codell is a teacher and children's literature specialist at an elementary school in Chicago. Her public radio feature based on this diary was awarded First Prize for National Education Reporting from the Education Writers Association. She is also the recipient of the Dr. Peggy Williams Award for outstanding new teacher in the field of reading and language arts, given by the Chicago chapter of the International Reading Association. Esme lives in Chicago with her husband and son.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A king for all children,
By
This review is from: King Matt the First: A Novel (Paperback)
King Matt the First tells the tale of young Matt whose father, King Stephen the Wise, has died. Young Matt is thrust into a very real world full of adult ways which are foreign to his childlike sensibility. He is faced with difficult decisions and various advantures, responding to each one in his unique and wonderful way. King Matt's rule is a light in a dark world of war and greed and corruption - in short, an utterly real world. Janusz Koczak's tale distinguishes itself as imaginative story full of friendship, adventure, and drama. Give the book a read - it will let you see the world through the eyes of a child again.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews) 31 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Children's Classic,
By Robin Boone - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: King Matt the First (Hardcover)
Janusz Korczak (pseudonym for Henryk Goldszmit) is one of Poland's most beloved children's authors. There is not only this story, but also a sequel... . (One can see why an American publisher might not have wanted to publish the translation.) I am only sorry that neither of these stories are always in print in English. If you can read German you can get both it and its sequel in German from Amazon.de.The first English translation, brought out by Roy Publishing, was one of the joys of my childhood. I was lucky - a decade or so later I wrote to the librarian at the library where I had checked it out so often in childhood - I wanted the publishing information so I could look for it - and she sent me the book! It is one of my cherished possessions, and I bless that dear librarian always. I like to write, and Januzs Korczak is one of my primary influences, others being C.S. Lewis and Francis Hodgson Burnett (for stories about children who become kings or queens). If you can't read King Matt's story, I recommend those authors, and also E. Nesbit, Connie Willis, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, R.A. MacAvoy, James Blaylock... This list could go on forever, but I will always think it imperfect as long as Korczak cannot be at the top because his stories are unavailable in English. Lourie's translation gives more of a European flavor to the story; the earlier translation is softer, and it appears that some detail was omitted. My guess is that the earlier translators wanted to present an impression of the story that did not show as much of the sad, or the tongue-in-cheek, quality of the original, because the Polish people were then under occupation by the Nazis. I rather wish Lourie would translate the sequel, and that both books would stay in print in English FOREVER. 24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, unique, funny, wise; how do I get a copy?,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: King Matt the First (Hardcover)
This is a truly unique book. The author has a great understanding of the way a kid thinks. The main character is a young boy who is crowned king. He has various adventures as he learns about the world of grownups: going to war, starting a parliament for kids, traveling, etc. My only regret is that I read a library copy and I want to own my own but it is out of print.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Need to bring this book back,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: King Matt the First (Hardcover)
In Esme Raji Codell's new book, How to Get your Child to Love Reading, she devotes a page to this book and refers to it as "the greatest read-aloud of all time". Her book will result in a lot of demand for King Matt the First, so I hope it will be republished in the US>
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