{"product_id":"king-matt-the-first-9781565124424","title":"King Matt the First","description":"Janusz Korczak was a Polish physician and educator who wrote over twenty books--his fiction was in his time as well known as \u003ci\u003ePeter Pan\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eKing Matt the First\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNow 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJanusz KorczakK wrote the classic children's book \u003ci\u003eKing Matt the First\u003c\/i\u003e and many nonfiction works. To mark the centennial of Korczak's birth, the United Nations declared 1979 the International Year of the Child and dedicated it to him. Korczak perished in 1942 in Treblinka, along with the Jewish orphans he refused to abandon. \u003cbr\u003eA nationally renowned advocate for literacy and literature-based instruction, Esmé Raji Codell is today \"one of the nation's most sought-after voices for empowering teachers\" (\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e) and a \"Superstar of Education\" (\u003ci\u003eScolastic Instructor\u003c\/i\u003e). Esmé has been interviewed on\u003ci\u003e CBS This Morning\u003c\/i\u003e, CNN, C-SPAN's \u003ci\u003eBook Talk\u003c\/i\u003e, and NPR. The author of \u003ci\u003eHow to Get Your Child to Love Reading\u003c\/i\u003e as well as award-winning books for children, Esmé lives with her husband and son in Chicago, where she spent many years as an educator in Chicago public schools and now runs the popular children's literature Web site PlanetEsme.com and the unique literary salon, the PlanetEsme Bookroom.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Algonquin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50420202832146,"sku":"9781565124424","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_abc759c9-5b7c-4d8b-8135-3c68f62e56c4.jpg?v=1729491436","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/king-matt-the-first-9781565124424","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}