King Matt the First

If a wise man wanted to share his wisdom with children, he would write "King Matt the First". I have read "King Matt" 5 times over the last 45 years. I am excited about this new translation and I am looking forward to reading it again! I'd only wish that the second volume "King Matt on a Deserted Island", was available, too. This is a deep book; underneath the exciting adventures of the little king, it offers a deeply penetrating, child's eye view of our world: Monarchy versus democracy, the upper v. lower class, differences between cultures and countries, the cunningness and hypocrisy of both domestic and international politics, the bureaucracy, racial relations, relations between children and adults, children's rights, boys v. girls, both the value and the absurdities of traditions and customs and just about every other aspect of life. The second volume, "Matt on a Deserted Island", is unique among children's books. As the little king isolated on a deserted island, spends time alone, reading, writing, thinking, and growing wiser. This volume too is beautiful and full of love and surprising adventures. Unlike most "deep" books for adults, "King Matt" is remains a thriller even as it writes about deep introspection and contemplation of the meaning of life and death, love, friendship, togetherness and aloneness. At the end, after many spellbinding adventures, Matt returns to his own country, where he establishes democracy. To me the great value of this book is that it does not offer any answers. It does not promote any belief systems, religion, or values. Instead it opens up an existential inquiry and encourages the readers to think and find their own answers! This approach is characteristic of Jaunsz Korczak's deep respect for the intelligence of his young readers. It is a rare approach in the world where most writers try to stuff the minds of their readers with ready-made answers. I recommend this book to every intelligent human being from any country, culture and religious background. Veet Vivarto

I read this book as a child and wanted my daughter to read it. I was so happy to see her fall in love with King Matt the First. I also love Janusz Korczak. I hope that more people read this book and learn more about this wonderful man.

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>

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.