King Matt the First

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.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: 10/01/2004
ISBN: 9781565124424
Pages: 330
Weight: 1.13lbs
Size: 9.20h x 5.86w x 0.98d

Review Citations: Library Journal 09/01/2004 pg. 140
Booksense '76 Childrens Aut 04 09/01/2004 pg. 1

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 82775 / King Matt the First
Reading Level: 6.2 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 14