10 partsKing Matt the First
A boy king, a war, a children's parliament and a journey to Africa. The book that made children's rights a story.
A century of stories
Polish children's classics in English — illustrated audiobooks
Poland gave Europe the idea that children have rights — and a shelf of books that generations have read at home and at school. Janusz Korczak's King Matt and Kornel Makuszyński's Devil from the Seventh Grade are now, for the first time, illustrated audiobooks in English. For kids 8–14, for families with Polish roots, and for anyone who likes a story that treats children as people.
Why Poland
Why Poland has such strong children's classics
Two names explain most of it. Janusz Korczak (1878–1942) was a paediatrician who ran a Warsaw orphanage where the children had their own parliament, court and newspaper — and who then wrote King Matt the First, a novel in which a nine-year-old inherits a throne and finds out what power really costs. Kornel Makuszyński (1884–1953) was the country's great humorist, and his Devil from the Seventh Grade (1937) is a detective story for teenagers that still makes readers laugh out loud.
Both books come out of interwar Warsaw — a short, bright stretch of independence between 1918 and 1939 when Polish writers took children seriously as readers. The result is a literature that is humanistic and funny at the same time, honest about grown-ups, honest about power, and never talking down to the child holding the book.
Because these titles have been school reading in Poland for generations, they carry something rare: a whole country's shared childhood memory. And that memory travels. Polish is a heritage language for millions of families across Europe — in the UK, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. For those families, an English edition of King Matt is a bridge: the story grandparents know, in the language the children speak at school.
Korczak's ideas went further still. When the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, the draft came from Poland and the spirit was his. Reading his novel today is a way of meeting that idea at its source — as an adventure, not a lecture.
The books
Three classics, illustrated and read aloud
Audio in English, with a character gallery, scene illustrations and the full text in the app. Free 3-minute sample for every title. Polish and German editions are in production.
10 parts
The sequelKing Matt on the Desert Island
The former king in exile: a lighthouse, a diary, the birds — and a quieter, wiser second half of the story.
Detective classicThe Devil from the Seventh Grade
A schoolboy detective, a country manor, a riddle left behind by a Napoleonic officer — and a lot of laughter along the way.
Timeline
From Warsaw 1878 to your headphones
- 1878Janusz Korczak is born in Warsaw as Henryk Goldszmit.
- 1912Korczak and Stefania Wilczyńska open Dom Sierot — an orphanage with a children's parliament, peer court and newspaper.
- 1922King Matt the First is published.
- 1923The sequel, King Matt on the Desert Island.
- 1937Kornel Makuszyński publishes The Devil from the Seventh Grade.
- 1989The UN adopts the Convention on the Rights of the Child — drafted on Poland's initiative, in Korczak's spirit.
- 2026All three books as illustrated audiobooks in English at Audio Opowieści; Polish and German editions on the way.
Who it's for
Three kinds of listeners
Kids 8–14 learning English
Plain narration, a story that carries you, and the text on screen next to the voice. Understanding comes from the plot, not from a dictionary. A part of King Matt is about an hour — one evening.
Polish families abroad
The books your parents grew up with, in the language your children speak at school. Listen in English, talk about it in Polish — or the other way round. Guide for parents →
Teachers and classrooms
Free 3-minute samples for listening practice; a bought book plays on any device signed in to the same account. Korczak fits children's-rights and history lessons as well as English. Write to us for class sets.
Questions
What people ask
What are the best-known Polish children's classics?
Janusz Korczak's King Matt the First (1922) and its sequel King Matt on the Desert Island (1923), and Kornel Makuszyński's The Devil from the Seventh Grade (1937). All three have been school reading in Poland for generations and are now available as illustrated audiobooks in English at Audio Opowieści.
Are these audiobooks in English or Polish?
In English today, read by a licensed AI voice, with the full text and illustrations in the app. Polish and German editions are in production. The English edition is a good fit for children learning English and for Polish families abroad who read in two languages.
What age are they for?
King Matt on the Desert Island from 8, King Matt the First from 9, The Devil from the Seventh Grade from 12. Younger children happily listen with a parent. More in the guide for parents.
How much does it cost and how do I buy?
A part of the King Matt serial is €2.99 ($2.99), a full book €14.99 ($14.99). Pay by card on the website or through Google Play. There is a free 3-minute sample for every title, no sign-in needed.
Can I use them in a classroom?
Yes — the free samples work well as a listening exercise, and a purchased book plays on any device signed in to the same account. If you have questions about school use, write to info@audio-opowiesci.com.
See also: Janusz Korczak — biography and books · guide for parents · all books · about Audio Opowieści
Start with the sample
Three minutes of King Matt the First for free. Then Part 1 for €2.99 — yours to keep, on the web and in the app.