'A Voice for the Child'

Jim Harding, Director of the NSPCC

"We all have heroes. Janusz Korczak is one of mine. He was undoubtedly a very brave, caring and charismatic man who understood children well and who had a life-long affinity with children. His words resonate across the years and have amazing modern-day relevance.

"His underlying messages about children - how they should be listened to, how they have individual voices and how precious they are - reflect the messages of the NSPCC current Full Stop Campaign which seeks to bring about an end to cruelty to children within a generation. He found, as we do, cruelty to children totally unacceptable.

"Korczak protected those in his care to the death - an ultimate act of commitment to children. We hope Sandra Joseph's new book helps people in this country to know more about this relatively unknown but, for children, very important figure."

Education Special Needs Journal

You will probably be like me in asking 'Janusz who? When you first encounter this powerful book. The book is tiny, but it hits you between the eyes. Books like this come along only infrequently; it justifies a big review!

There are messages for teachers and other professionals, administrators and politicians alike in this book. It abounds with widom, borne out of one simple (but so frequently denigrated) premise: that children are mirrors of the world.

We therefore need books like this, on the reading lists of teacher-education course, in the brief-cases of OfSTEAD inspectors and in the corridors of power down at the DfEE.

Read it, be inspired, and then take action

The Express – Life May 4th 1999
"The Children’s Champion"

Good parenting is big business. There are childcare manuals, classes and videos, there are experts lining up to give you technical details on how to feed, dress and play with your child. We’d like to believe there is a "right" way as we try to take the anxiety out of parenting. Yet a startling book tells us all we really need to know. It is not a manual telling you when to stop bottle-feeding, it is an amazing collection of philosophical epigrams and insights.

Korczak forthrightly states that if you have not retained some of the magic of your own childhood then perhaps the beauty of your own children will be lost on you. His writings range from the stark and simple to the complex interpretation of a child’s silence. "The child is honest. When he does not answer, he answers. He doesn’t want to lie and he is too frightened to tell the truth. To my surprise, I have stumbled upon a new thought. Silence is sometimes the highest expression of honesty". Korczak’s sense of childhood’s wonder never evaded him and that is what makes this such an inspirational book.

NEW VIEW

This little book, for it could fit into your coat pocket, is both an inspiration for the rights of the child and a celebration of a remarkable man. The heart of the book is made up of any number of statements and sayings, aphoristic, even poetic at times, by Korczak from his penetrating journey in defence of the child.

In 1979, the United Nations 'Year of the Child' was also dedicated to the memory of Janusz Korczak, being the centenary of his birth. His writings on children, translated into many languages, contain so much wisdom and helpful insights on the being of the child that he has become well known in many parts of the world.

Curiously little is known in Britain about Janusz Korczak, his life and his teachings concerning children. That will surely change now with this wonderful little book and for that its editor, Sandra Joseph, should be thanked for persevering with her desire to bring alive to the English public the deeds of this remarkable, yet so humble man.

Watch? News Spring 1999-10-06

What About The Children A new book of quotes will be published by Thorsons next month entitled "A Voice for the Child" based on the philosophy and writings of Dr Janusz Korczak one of the world's pioneers for the rights of the child. He died in 1942 in the death camps of Treblinka to which he chose to accompany 200 orphans rather than escape death himself. The book contains a short biography of his life along with some lovely quotes a few of which are reproduced below.

'A child can read his parent's face
in the same way as a farmer reads the
sky to predict the weather'

'Nothing but ignorance can make us overlook the fact
that a baby has a certain, clearly defined individuality,
Which is composed of inborn temperament, strength,
intellect, self-consciousness
and his life experiences.'

CHARITY WORLD May/June 1999

"A Voice for the Child" is a collection of the personal insights and wisdom of Janusz Korczak, one of the world's greatest authorities on children. During his lifetime he was renowned as a doctor, writer, teacher, broadcaster, philosopher and fighter for the rights of the child. This book is supported by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children on the launch of their huge nation-wide campaign to put a stop to cruelty and abuse of children. The campaign, entitled The Full Stop Campaign has already received huge national support as people across the country sign a pledge of support to help make ending cruelty to children a reality and there will be a vast array of events all over the country throughout 1999 and 2000.

Polish American Journal Review

Over 100 excerpts in "A Voice for the Child" reveal how closely he understood the mind of the child. He pioneered what is now considered a basic tenet of child psychology, that the treatment a child receives when young will influence the way he later behaves.

The presentation of "A Voice for the Child" is deliberately simple with each idea almost poetically expressed on a separate page. Sketches by one of his former orphanage boys who escaped to Russia and later emigrated to Israel, Itzhak Belfer, illustrate the book.

Sandra Joseph has done well in opening up the insights and simple truths of a man who was years ahead of his time to the general reader. It can only be of benefit to the child of today.

Special Children Review
In Good Voice

An inspirational book is spreading the word about the writings of Janusz Korczak. Sandra Joseph, the editor says, " I hope that as a result of this book people in the UK will be stinulated to learn about his educational theories, which are known and studied in many European universities."

The Beacon

"A Voice for the Child" offers an unprecedented treasure of the personal insights and rich wisdom of Janusz Korczak, one of the world's greatest authorities on children.

TOGETHER WITH CHILDREN

A wonderful little book which everyone who works with children will love, giving the personal insights and wisdom of Janusz Korczak, who during his lifetime (1879-1942) devoted himself to the needs and plights of children regardless of nationality and religion, and is renowned and loved as a doctor, writer, teacher/educator, broadcaster, philosopher and fighter for the rights of the child.

If you are looking for inspiration - then this is the book for you.

Thorsons, through the launch of the book, are supporting the NSPCC's 'Full Stop' campaign. Absolutely ideal for the bookshelf, to take down, read every now and again, and go on your way heartened, enlightened and inspired.

Ham and High Review

A Voice for the Child pays homage to Korczak, one of the world's leading pioneers for the rights of the child and most original thinkers about children. The book communicates Korczak's philosophy in short, poetic phrases in an important collection published in English for the first time, outside academic circles. It will inspire anyone who wants to know and understand children. Although originally written some 50 years ago, Korczak's incisive words have a timeless truth never more relevant than today. Korczak can speak to the heart because he had the almost uncanny ability to see the world through a child's eyes and learn from it:

Parent Talk Review - Education

This book is a fitting tribute to Dr Janusz Korczak. Through his work the reader gains a wondrous insight into the mind of the child.

SCIENCE OF THOUGHT

This is a charming book which gives real insight into the mind of the child.

SPECIAL CHILDREN

An inspirational book is spreading the word about the writings of Janusz Korczak - one of the world's leading pioneers for the rights of the child.
A Voice for the Child communicates Korczak's philosophy on the rights of children in short poetic phrases and is the first time that his ideas have been available in English outside an academic text. The book mixes a biography of his life with over 100 quotations. According to Sandra Joseph, a children's therapist and editor of A Voice for the Child, the book is only an introduction to the work of Korczak.