On 9 October 1926, Warsaw’s largest Polish-language Jewish newspaper, Nasz Pazeglad, published the first edition of a supplement entitled Maly Pzeglad (Little Review). Created by pediatrician, orphanage director and pedagogical philosopher Janusz Korczak, the weekly insert was written and edited entirely by children. Generated from letters, phone calls and in-person appointments, Little Review was a detailed account of children’s personal experiences, complaints, and observations in their own voice. Instead of promoting children’s fictional stories or poems, Little Review sought to present the non-fictional language of Polish youth. Korczak’s concept for Little Review manifested ideas articulated in many of his philosophical and pedagogical writings, released prior to and during Little Review’s thirteen-year publishing period, such as How to Love a Child (1920) and The Child’s Right to Respect (1929).

Little Review became a forum for genuine and serious conversations, and the catalyst for actual change. During the first year of the youth newspaper’s run, a set of articles regarding barbed wire installed around a playground were published, resulting in the wire being taken down. In this vein, the publication continued to act as a mouthpiece for the opinions, feelings and issues important to children to be channeled into adult discourse and, hopefully, to be taken seriously.

By the mid-1930s, Little Review had grown up with its contributors and it become a site of dialogue and exchange between Polish and Jewish youth. The letters of Polish Catholic schoolchildren were often included in the publication, which helped to bridge the gap between ethnic groups that were becoming increasingly opposed. By including Jewish and non-Jewish voices in conversation, Little Review was able to elucidate prejudices, clarify major points of conflict and identify similarities and differences. The newspaper ended as World War II erupted, in 1939.