10 parts
King Matt the First
A nine-year-old inherits the throne and tries to run the world a little more kindly — war, a children's parliament, a journey to Bum-Drum.
Listen · Watch · Read
Audiobooks for kids: Polish classics you can see
King Matt the First and The Devil from the Seventh Grade — the only English audiobooks of these classics, with illustrations. Ages 8–14.
“In the royal palace the door handles were so high up that little Matt could not open the doors by himself.” — Janusz Korczak, King Matt the First, 1922
Chapter 1
Three books, three worlds
Buy once, keep forever — no subscription. Every title is a complete English audiobook with a character gallery, scene illustrations and the full text in the app. Polish and German editions are in production.
10 parts
Mystery
The Devil from the Seventh Grade
Adam Cisowski, the sharpest boy in his class, untangles a 124-year-old riddle about a Napoleonic treasure — with humour that hasn't aged a day.
The sequel
King Matt on the Desert Island
The boy who was king is sent into exile. A lighthouse keeper, a diary, the birds — and the question of whether one can start again.
Full catalogue with language filters: all books → · This site in Polish · German
Chapter 2
Meet the cast
Every character has a portrait and a story in the app. Your child listens — and sees who is speaking.
Chapter 3
Why these stories
Because they are Polish classics Europe should hear — written by people who genuinely listened to children. Read for a hundred years, at home and at school; now in English for the first time as audiobooks.
Janusz Korczak
1878–1942 · physician, educator, writerHe ran an orphanage in Warsaw and was among the first to say that a child has rights — an idea the world later wrote down in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. King Matt the First is his most famous story: about power, responsibility, and grown-ups not always being right.
The author and the book →Kornel Makuszyński
1884–1953 · master of humourAuthor of the best-loved Polish novels for young readers between the wars. The Devil from the Seventh Grade (1937) is a detective story that teaches how to think — and has been read for pleasure, not out of duty, for decades.
The author and the book →- 1922Korczak publishes King Matt the First
- 1937Makuszyński publishes The Devil from the Seventh Grade
- 2026Illustrated English audiobooks — Polish and German on the way
“There are no children — there are people.”Janusz Korczak
Chapter 4
An audiobook you can see
The Audio Opowieści app is more than a voice. It's a picture book your child can listen to, look at and read — whichever way they like.
Listen
Music, sound design, car mode, offline. A free sample of every book — here on the site and in the app.
Watch
A character gallery and illustrations of key scenes appear in step with the audio. World map, full-screen cover.
Read
The full text follows the voice — or stands alone, in light or dark mode. Great for readers who like to see the words.
Honest about the voice: narration is performed by a licensed synthetic voice (AI, ElevenLabs), with no cloning of real narrators, and is labelled on every title — as the EU AI Act requires. The text, the illustrations and the music are the work of people. How we work →
When it works best
At bedtime
King Matt's parts run about an hour — one per evening, and the app remembers where you stopped.
On the road
Download once, listen offline in the car or on the train. No ads, no subscription, no surprises.
For school and heritage families
Both books are set reading in Polish schools. For Polish families abroad, listening in English with the text alongside is a natural bridge between two languages. See the catalogue →
Parents’ guide: which title for which age, how to start → · Why Polish classics →
The Audio Opowieści app — Android now, iOS soon. A purchase on the website and in the app is the same library.
Get it onGoogle Play App Store — soon · about the app →Questions parents ask
What ages are these audiobooks for?
King Matt the First — from about 8–9; King Matt on the Desert Island — from 8; The Devil from the Seventh Grade — from about 12. All three are classics read by generations of Polish children and used in schools.
Are these really the only English audiobooks of King Matt?
As far as we know, yes. King Matt the First and its sequel King Matt on the Desert Island are available here as complete English audiobooks — with illustrations, a character gallery and the full text in the app. The Polish and German editions are in production.
Who narrates?
A licensed synthetic voice (AI, ElevenLabs) — no cloning of real narrators. We label it on every title, in line with the EU AI Act (art. 50). Judge for yourself: the 3-minute sample is free.
How do I buy and where do I listen?
Buy once — on this site (card) or on Google Play — and keep the book forever, no subscription. Listen in the Audio Opowieści app on Android (iOS soon), offline too. The King Matt serial can be bought one part at a time from €2.99 / $2.99. Terms and your right of withdrawal: store terms.
Epilogue
Start small
Part 1 of King Matt the First — an hour of story for €2.99, yours forever. Or three free minutes first.