{ "item_title" : "King Matt the First", "item_author" : [" Janusz Korczak", "Richard Lourie", "Esmé Raji Codell "], "item_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.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers1.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/56/512/442/1565124421_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "23.99", "online_price" : "23.99", "our_price" : "23.99", "club_price" : "23.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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Until we saw Algonquin's new edition, we had never heard of Janusz Korczak's book King Matt the First. But when we read the evaluation by Esmé Raji Codell ("one of the greatest children's books ever written") we knew it was worth a look. A Polish pediatrician who was killed in the Holocaust, Korczak created a charming world in which a young boy unexpectedly takes the throne. Soon, there's summer camp and chocolate candy for everyone in the kingdom! But King Matt also offers weightier lessons on justice and friendship. This is a rediscovered gem not to be missed.