Little King Matty...and the Desert Island facts for kids

Little King Matty and the Desert Island (Polish: Król Maciuś na wyspie bezludnej) is an exciting children's book by Janusz Korczak, first published in 1923. It's the follow-up to King Matt the First, telling the story of the young king's adventures after he is sent away from his home.

The book shows Matty as a sensitive young prince who becomes king after his parents get sick and pass away. He learns how to be a ruler through real-life experiences and lessons from different teachers. At first, Matty learns in his own way, driven by his feelings and big imagination. But as he grows, he starts to think more deeply and helps others learn and grow too.

About the Book's Editions

The book was first released in Polish in 1923, titled Król Maciuś na wyspie bezludnej. It took a long time for it to be translated into English, finally happening in 1990.

The English version from October 1990, published by Joanna Pinewood Enterprises, is a complete translation. It combines two stories into one book called Little King Matty ...and the Desert Island. Dr. Adam Czasak translated this edition, and Kzrysztof Bahrynowski edited it.

In 2009, Tomasz Chmielik translated the book into Esperanto, a constructed language. He even held a contest for children in Lublin, Poland, to design the cover for this new edition.

Story of Little King Matty

Little King Matty...and the Desert Island is a story packed with themes like freedom, fairness, leadership, travel, and making things better. Matty becomes king after his father dies. He quickly has to learn about "etiquette"—the proper rules for kings. He also learns to understand when his adult advisors aren't being completely honest. Diplomacy, he finds, is sometimes "all about telling fibs."

Matty's Challenges and Reforms

Matty tries to make many changes to improve his country. These efforts lead to a war with three nearby kingdoms. They try to divide his country among themselves. Matty bravely fights them off and wins the war through a peace agreement.

However, his country is left without money. Other European countries refuse to help him build ships, which he needs to make his kingdom strong again. So, Matty travels to a land ruled by wise leaders. There, the young king manages to make a deal that saves his kingdom. This makes some of his advisors and his defeated neighbors quite upset.

Princess Klu Klu: A Heroine

The story also has a romantic side. Klu Klu, the daughter of an African king, falls in love with Matty. She secretly travels to his kingdom. One day, she saves Matty's life and the people of his capital city by killing a dangerous wolf with her dagger. She becomes a hero to everyone. Klu Klu becomes a role model for women in both Europe and Africa. She learns quickly, is a better hunter, and is Matty's strongest warrior.

Betrayal and Exile

Matty's changes make his adult enemies angry. They secretly encourage chaos and invade his country again. Matty's African warriors and Princess Klu Klu fight bravely by his side. But some of his own citizens betray him. His three enemies divide his country. They decide to send the young King Matty away to a deserted island.

Before this can happen, Matty escapes from prison. He is rescued by Princess Klu Klu and her father. Her father tries to negotiate a better deal for Matty. But the European kings cheat. So, Klu Klu's father declares war on them. The book briefly mentions how some powerful European countries treated African lands unfairly and how Europe relied on goods from Africa, like chocolate.

Matty's Return and Final Journey

Matty chooses to go into exile to protect his country. But he escapes again when a special "postal rat" from Klu Klu brings him urgent messages. He is then captured by his strongest enemy. He hides in a high-security prison, where he is looked after and taught by some tough characters. Later, he hides who he really is and goes to a school. There, pressure from other students almost makes him act like a bully.

It's at this school that Matty learns his worst enemy wants to attack his kingdom a third time. Matty feels angry, but then he starts to understand himself better. He learns to use humor to keep from becoming sad. This helps him get his confidence back. In the end, he manages to save his kingdom.

The book concludes with Matty feeling disappointed with things, and then he passes away.