Janusz Korczak Books

Without cant, without presumption, without institutional or ideological nonsense that prevents adults even from seeing children, this book is a treasure. Give it to every expectant parent, and you will give them an invaluable gift to the child they will raise.

The author, a physician, survived Nazi Germany and had love in his heart for all children. His wisdom and insights will make you glad to be a human being, and his humor and wry commentaries will delight you.

What children really think of us:
Adults are not very clever. They don't even know how to take advantage of the freedom they have. They're so lucky, they can buy anything they like, they're allowed to do anything they want but despite all this they are always angry about something and any little thing is liable to make them shout. -From the book.

This little book will teach you some things about children and how to be a parent! Great book for new parents, but also for parents at any stage. For example, there's a section on adolescence. Really good insight and used in a child's point of view.

I picked this up and thumbed thru it and knew I had to get a closer look at this! Who was this man 'Janusz Korczak' and why had I never heard of him before? How did he know this stuff about kids and what they think and feel and want and need?

The introduction tells you a little bit about Korczak, and in the very back of the book, there is a 'who was this man' section. Very interesting. Makes me want to find more of his writings. The book is full of words of wisdom about children, growing and learning, and what they see from us.

Great little book for yourself or to give as a gift. I cannot think of anyone who would not benefit from reading this little treasure! You know someone who you admire as a parent? Great!-& give 'em this too!

Dr Korzcak writes from the perspective of the child. His writing is
profound yet simple and easy to understand. His teaching reminds me
of the innocence of children. As an adult I forget what it was like
to be a child but Dr Korzcak reminds me of that fragile age. When I
am reminded of that fragile age I empathize and become on the same level as the child, thus more patient, compassionate and understanding, and hopefully a kinder and wiser parent.

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.

Owing to the fact that Korczak cared for children, it is not surprising that much of his diary is devoted to this subject. He mentions such challenges as child-care tips, discipline, and attempting to heal sick children. He also noted the pains of ageing that he experienced.

Korczak makes many interesting comments on various subjects. He often discusses what kind of God he believes in. He also writes: "The world knows nothing of many great Poles." (p. 86). Also: "Nietzsche was also of Polish origin--Nitzki, you know." (p. 28). Korczak mentions Jewish virtues such as talent and hard work (p. 179), but also comments: "The Jews are conceited and that is why they are despised. I believe this will change, perhaps soon." (p. 182).

Unlike other diarists, Korczak devotes little direct attention to German Nazi actions in the Warsaw Ghetto. The consequences, however, are obvious: "The body of a dead boy lies in the sidewalk. Nearby, three boys are playing horses and drivers. At one point, they notice the body, move a few steps to the side, and go on playing." (p. 121). Korczak, an obvious intellectual, invites others to discussions in his flat about such topics as Napoleon, Leonardo da Vinci, freedom, destiny and free will, etc. (p. 155). These Jewish behaviors shed light on comparable Polish ones. Holocaust materials have commonly featured the Poles engaged in normal activities (riding a carousel, attending Easter Mass, etc.) while the ghetto was burning--all insinuating the cold indifference of Poles to Jewish suffering. They were no such thing. We see that both Poles and Jews simply attempted to live lives as close to normal as possible in the face of all the horrors surrounding them.

Korczak was offered to be saved by his Polish friends (p. 39), who had already made forged identification papers for him. He refused, and went to the gas chambers of Treblinka with the children in his care.

I am a great admirer of Janusz Korczak not because of his wonderful books, but because he was firm to his beliefs until the end. He had principles and he was not ready to give up, and he paid with his life for it.

Korczak was the director of a big orphanage in Warsaw and he was very well know throughout the world for his writings in education. As the Holocaust started and life got very hard on the ghetto, Korczak worked even harder to keep on with cultural activities and day-to-day life. He was offered to escape to US, as most famous Jewish, but he believed that his children were his life and that he would rather die with them than live in a world that exterminates children cold-bloodedly. BUT, as William Blake puts it: "He who respects the Infant's faith triumph's over Hell & Death."

This book is very interesting; it provides many of the memories that Korczak wrote in the difficult days of the Second World War. It shows how desperating reality was, and how Korczak gave his soul into his fight to keep his children safe and healthy; a sad historical document with pictures of this noble man and the orphanage that made him so proud.

I have his whole collection; unfortunately for English speakers, I have found around 15 books in Hebrew while in English I found just 5. I warmly recommend this book, together with two other books that are found at Amazon: 'King Matt the First' and 'When I am little again' (see my reviews about them).

This is a phenomenal book! Janusz Korczak, a writer, physician, and the ultimate child advocate, was also a great soul; indeed, if he had been born a Catholic he would be made a saint. He was a mixture of Dr. Benjamin Spock, Florence Nightingale, Patch Adams, and Mahatma Gandhi--rolled into one!

Choosing to stay with the orphans in the Jewish orphanage he directed, he protected the children through their forced move into the Warsaw Ghetto, and then to the death camp Treblinka. His diary is quoted throughout and we see a man who was very much afraid but who conquered his fears so that he could serve the tiny humanity in the person of the children in his care. Indeed, at one point he could have saved his own life if he had abandoned the children, but he refused to do so. The book ends with a quote from his diary which gives us true insight into his character: "I never wish anyone ill. I cannot. I don't know how it is done."

His life should have been one of happiness and fulfillment, of just deserved rewards for his goodness to others; however, like so many others, the Nazis terminated this great man far too soon. The illustrations are marvelous! They are rather like well done photographs.

Owing to the fact that Korczak cared for children, it is not surprising that much of his diary is devoted to this subject. He mentions such challenges as child-care tips, discipline, and attempting to heal sick children. He also noted the pains of ageing that he experienced.

Korczak makes many interesting comments on various subjects. He often discusses what kind of God he believes in. He also writes: "The world doesn't know about a number of great Poles." (p. 8). Korczak mentions Jewish virtues such as cleverness and hard work (p. 102), but also comments: "Jews are cocky and that is why they are scorned. I believe that this will change and maybe even soon." (p. 106).

Unlike other diarists, Korczak devoted little direct attention to German Nazi actions in the Warsaw Ghetto. The consequences, however, were obvious: "A dead boy is lying on the sidewalk. Nearby three boys are fixing something with some rope. At a certain moment they glanced at the body and moved away a few steps, not interrupting their game" (p. 43). Korczak, an obvious intellectual, invited others to discussions in his flat about such topics as Napoleon, Leonardo da Vinci, freedom, destiny and free will, etc. (pp. 77-78). These Jewish behaviors shed light on comparable Polish ones. Holocaust materials have commonly featured the Poles engaged in normal activities (riding a carousel, attending Easter Mass, etc.) while the ghetto was burning--all insinuating the cold indifference of Poles to Jewish suffering. They were no such thing. We see that both Poles and Jews simply attempted to live lives as close to normal as possible in the face of all the horrors surrounding them.

In the introduction, Kulawiec elaborates on Polish efforts to save Janusz Korczak: "When it already became transparent that the days of the orphanage were numbered, friends from the outside proposed concrete plans for his escape. In one such final effort, forged papers were brought, a hide-out in the country prepared, and a safe route mapped out for him. As in all previous offers of help, Korczak declined even this last gesture inasmuch as it was not possible to include all the children in the plans." (p. xi).

Well, not really. Though we sometimes wish to return to childhood and have all its privileges, we forget about the difficulties children have to confront in their day-to-day life. And they are as stressing to children as our problems are to us.

Korczak is a man who understood and loved children till his death (for more information about his life, read my review on Ghetto Diary). In this book he alerts adults to children's lack of power when confronting the world. How to deal with day-to-day fears, novelties, anxieties, and oppressing teachers?

The book reminds me of a famous quote by Pablo Picasso: "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." It is our responsibility to let children grow up in a healthy creative environment, and this can be done only by respecting and understanding children's feelings. This is what this book teaches us.

King Matt is a good book it's funny , sad ,action, but most of all it's a great book.In the begining his father is dieing ,and his mother as already died.He has to be the king.Now that he's king three other countries tried to have a war with him because he's little and he don't know how to fight a war.But he still wins and know he go's to there countries to meet with the other three kings.They are scared of him now.He is little but he has mind of a real king.But that's because he is a real king now.I leave the ending for you to find out how it ends...


King Matt is a Great Book you should buy it or get it from your local Library.

King Matt is a good book its funny , sad ,action, but most of all its great.In the begining his father is dieing ,and his mother as already died.He has to be the king.Now that he's king three other countries tried to have a war with him because he's little and he don't know how to fight a war.But he still wins and know he gos to there countries to meet with the other three kings.They are scared of him now.He is little but he has mind of a real king.But thats because he is a real king now.I leave the ending for you to find out how it ends...


King Matt is a reat book you should buy it or get it from your local Library.

King Matt is a good book its funny , sad ,action, but most of all its great.In the begining his father is dieing ,and his mother as already died.He has to be the king.Now that he's king three other countries tried to have a war with him because he's little and he don't know how to fight a war.But he still wins and know he gos to there countries to meet with the other three kings.They are scared of him now.He is little but he has mind of a real king.But thats because he is a real king now.I leave the ending for you to find out how it ends...


King Matt is a reat book you should buy it or get it from your local Library.

My favorite part of the book is when they say that if you see a big bird to not be scared of it.And if you did not read this book. I recommend this book because it is a good book.

This book is a great adventure! Korczak succeeds again to describe our world in the eyes of a child; the games of power, envy, the lack of sensibility, the contempt to important things, and, most important, the beauty of life.

A child king, with no friends and no mentors in whom he can fully trust, Matt has to learn all the ways of life in the hard way. He learns, for example, that if you give too much, people (and even children!) will want more and more; everyone needs limits. He also understands that experience cannot be learned in the castle, it has to be lived outside the walls; you cannot rule an army if you have never seen the battlefields. He learns that friendship is a two-way road of trust and love; if you give you will receive. And he learns that you cannot solve all the problems of the world at once, even in the most efficient scheduled day; the body needs rest and peace of mind.

King Matt is a wonderful teacher to a healthy and ethical life, told in a simple language and amusing stories. I warmly recommend this book for children, parents, and educators.

Shadow of the Wall

This is a story about a boy that survived what seemed to be the impossible, when he was very young his father died of a disease. His mother sent him to an orphanage; she eventually started to live there. After Misha was older he started to smuggle food in from the "outside" for his family because his mother was very sick and couldn't work. Eventually Mishas mother died, leaving him and his two sisters. The Nazis started to give terrible punishments to people who broke the law, if Misha was caught smuggling food he would be killed. The Nazis are preparing to raid the orphanage and many of the children and adults are very weak. What will happen to Misha, his sisters and the rest of the orphanage?

I didn't like this story because it is to sad the way both of his parents die when he's young and leave him to fend for both him and his two sisters. It is also a little bit gross, when Misha was smuggling once he stumbled over two dead bodies and one of them wasn't even covered up! This story relates to The Diary of Anne Frank.

I AM A 6TH GRADE STUDENT AND I JUST FINISHED READING SHADOW OF THE WALL. IT IS A FANTASTIC BOOK. IT IS CONFUSING AT THE BEGINNING BUT WHEN YOU GET TOWARD THE MIDDLE IT GETS REALLY GOOD. I WOULD RECOMEND IT TO ANYONE. IT IS ABOUT A 13-YEAR-OLD JEWISH BOY THAT LIVED IN A GHETTO DURING THE HOLOCAUST. HE GOES ON A VERY IMPORTANT MISSION (SMUGGLE HIS BABY SISTER OUT OG THE GHETTO TO LIVE WITH A NON-JEWISH FAMILY). IT ALSO TELLS ABOUT HIS OTHER ADVENTURES.

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.

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.