For teachers, libraries and Polish Saturday schools
Classics your pupils can hear — and see
King Matt the First and The Devil from the Seventh Grade — two of Poland's best-loved school books — as illustrated audiobooks in English: a voice, the text alongside it, a character gallery, scenes from the first chapter. Samples and the materials on the book pages are free. Audio in English.
The books
Which book, which age group
| Book | Ages | In the classroom | Free materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Matt the First Janusz Korczak, 1922 | 9–12 | Power and responsibility, a children's parliament, children's rights (Korczak → the UN Convention). A 10-part serial ≈ 10 lessons. | 3-min sample · 12 character portraits · 3 scenes · timeline · memory game · chapter 1 |
| King Matt on the Desert Island Janusz Korczak, 1923 | 9–12 | The sequel: exile, a diary, solitude and a new beginning. 7 parts. | sample · scenes · timeline · chapter 1 |
| The Devil from the Seventh Grade Kornel Makuszyński, 1937 | 11–14 | A logic-driven detective story (a cipher, dates, a calendar), Napoleon and 1812, the humour of interwar Poland. | sample · 15 portraits · 3 scenes · timeline · memory game · chapter 1 |
Lesson ideas
Three ways to use it in class
A Polish classic as reading and listening material: play the 3-minute sample to open, put the character gallery on the whiteboard, set a "who is who" task after chapter one (the text is on the page). Korczak's timeline is a ready-made springboard for children's rights; Makuszyński's riddle is a lesson in reasoning.
For children in the UK, Ireland or the US who speak English better than Polish: the same characters and scenes in two languages — English audio to follow the story, Polish book pages to meet the original. A bridge between the language of school and the language of grandparents.
The free samples and book-page materials work on any browser, without an account. Point a reading group at a book page, play a sample at story time, print the timeline. Bulk access for a library or class: write to us and we will find a way.
Honestly
What there is — and what there isn't yet
Samples, galleries, scenes, timelines, memory games and first chapters work in a browser, without login.
Purchase on a user account, listening in the app (Android and iOS), offline. King Matt is sold part by part; The Devil from the Seventh Grade as one book (€14.99).
Want to equip a class, a library or a Saturday school? Write to kontakt@audio-opowiesci.com — we will find a way together.
A licensed synthetic voice (ElevenLabs), no cloning of real narrators, labelled in line with the EU AI Act. A good starting point for a lesson on how media are made.
Zero advertising and zero profiling — in the app too. Privacy policy.
Janusz Korczak · Kornel Makuszyński — biographies and timelines you can use in class.
Ready-made lesson plan
A ready-made lesson plan (45 min, printable)
For English lessons with non-native speakers and Polish Saturday schools: listening with the free sample, ten words from chapter one, a discussion on children's rights, worksheet and homework. Printable A4.
Questions teachers ask
Which books are available?
King Matt the First and King Matt on the Desert Island (Janusz Korczak) and The Devil from the Seventh Grade (Kornel Makuszyński) — all three are school reading in Poland for ages 10–14. Today as illustrated audiobooks in English, with the full text in the app; the Polish book pages with character galleries and chapter one already work.
Can I play a sample in class?
Yes. The three-minute samples on the site are public and free — they play in a browser, without login, including on an interactive whiteboard. The character galleries, chapter-one scenes, timelines and memory games on the book pages are also available without purchase.
Are there licences for classes or libraries?
There is no separate institutional price list yet — purchases are made on a user account (buy once, listen in the app). If a school, library or Polish Saturday school wants to equip a group of pupils, write to kontakt@audio-opowiesci.com and we will find a way together.
Who reads, and is it labelled?
The narration is a licensed synthetic voice (AI, ElevenLabs), with no cloning of real narrators, labelled on every title in line with the EU AI Act (Article 50). It makes a good lesson topic: let pupils judge the voice and talk about how it is made.
Start with a sample on the whiteboard
Three minutes of King Matt — free, no login. The materials on the book pages are waiting.
Free study guides
- King Matt the First — summary — chapter by chapter
- King Matt the First — characters — who's who, illustrated
- King Matt the First — themes, quotes & questions — for classrooms and book clubs
- King Matt on the Desert Island — summary — volume 2, all seven parts
- King Matt on the Desert Island — characters — who's who in volume 2
- The Devil from the Seventh Grade — summary — the mystery, chapter by chapter
- The Devil from the Seventh Grade — characters — who's who, illustrated
- Polish books for bilingual kids — a guide for Polish-heritage families abroad