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.

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.

Janusz Korczak was a radical educator and early advocate of the rights of children. He was a Polish Jew (Korczak was a gentile pseudonym for Henryk Goldschmidt) and pediatrician whose work was well-known in Europe before WWII. Though little translated in English, his exceptionally original and poetic style and ideas puts him in the same league as Pestalozzi, Dewey and Montessori. In prewar Warsaw he organized two outstanding institutions: orphanages which were run as self-governing children's republics. But Korczak is legendary not for his life of intense work and ideas, but for his death. When The Warsaw Ghetto was liquidated, he prepared his 200 children to defy death in a unique way. Eye-witness accounts testify to the shattering spectacle of 200 cheerful, orderly children marching in foursomes through the hell of the Ghetto singing. They entered the trains singing, and they died at Treblinka. Every teacher and Korczak himself died with them. Korczak was twice of! fered by the Nazis to survive, once at the trains, once in Treblinka itself -- to be sent to Germany and educate German youth. But he refused. The Ghetto Diary is the only English translation of Korczak's own account of the last year in the Ghetto. It is invaluable. Those of us interested in children, in education and in Remembrance, should put this book into Samizdat, copying it and sharing it. It is the duty of the publisher to keep such a document available. This edition has a superb introduction by a former student of Korczak's. It is written as a novella, but perhaps comes as close to capturing the state of Korczak's mind in those days as anything could. It is quite surrealistic -- as is Korczak's own work. It combines in tribute to Korczak, Korczak's own unique synthesis of imagination, dream and the harshest, most unsparingly observed reality.

The book was almost too well researched, giving every minor detail of Korczak's life as well as those of his companions. It was, however, worth learning about a national hero from Poland.

After visiting Israel this summer I decided to read up on the philosophy of Janusz Korczak. I had never heard of him until I went to Yad Yayeled (The Children's Memorial) at the Ghetto Fighter's House. I found this biography to be a bit tedious in its approach to Mr. Korczak. It was at times overly wistful and non-critical. On the other hand, it is a great introduction to the subject. Janusz Korczak should be remembered for his commitment to the rights of children. As a high school teacher I found that his approaches to dealing with young people were profound, practical, and moving.

The editor of this beautiful book, Ms Sandra Joseph, has put together various of Janusz Korczak's texts, from a number of books, such as 'How to Love a Child' and 'The Child's Right to Respect'. Janusz Korczak (1878-1942) was a Polish-Jewish doctor, playwright and pedagogue, who was deeply involved with the education of orphans in Warsaw, Poland. He became famous for his radical views on the right of the child to be respected and treated in a humane way. As an 'advocate of the child' he claimed, long before the 'official' rights of the child were established by the UN, fundamental rights for children and youngsters. His life, and that of the orphans, ended when in 1942 the Nazis put them on transport to Treblinka. Since the 70s his ideas and views are studied around the world. For a number of reasons, this book is very welcome. In the first place it contributes to the reception of Korczak in the English-speaking world. In the past years only few works on Korczak were published in English; the Lifton biography 'The King of Children' being best known. In the second place, this book presents in a nutshell both Korczak's life and general ideas and a generous selection from his texts. Now we have at last a source that can be used when one wants to refer to Korczak in English. In the third place this little book is published in association with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the United Kingdom, to which the author donates part of her royalties; so Korczak's ideas are clearly linked to a very topical and pressing problem, that of the cruelty to and maltreatment of children. Ms Joseph ends her introduction by saying the following: 'Korczak deserves to be recognized and honoured today, not because he was a martyr, not because he was a great writer and doctor, not because he cared for the most neglected and poorest of children, not because he made a unique contribution to the world of education -but because he was a man of great humility, who lived and died solely because of his deep belief in and love for children. Korczak truly was 'The Champion of the Child'' (p. xxii-xxiii). I do hope that this little book will find its way, especially in the English speaking countries. Those already familiar with Korczak will find new inspiration; those new to him will find a source of wonder and challenge.

Joop Berding author of a book and some articles about Janusz Korczak; member of the board of the Dutch Janusz Korczak Association; co-editor of the Janusz Korczak International Newsletter.