The following information is from www.algonquin.com :

“King Matt the First,” one of Janusz 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, Matt puts them in jail. He disguises himself as a soldier and becomes a hero. But, as in real life, fantasy is tempered by reality. The kings of neighboring countries become jealous of his success and, in the end, King Matt falls. In spite of this, however, it's clear that Matt was the greatest king there ever was. 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.

Korczak, born in 1878, 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. In 1942, he was killed at Treblinka along with the children. Happily, Korczak's works have not been forgotten. They are especially loved by teachers and there are Janusz Korczak societies in over a dozen countries, including the USA.

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