page_title: The Ickabog
section_title: Background and release
hierarchical_section_title: The Ickabog / Background and release
caption_attribution_description: English: J.K. Rowling reads from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at the Easter Egg Roll at the White House in 2010. Español: J.K. Rowling leyendo Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal durante una visita a la Casa Blanca el 5 de abril de 2010.
context_page_description: The Ickabog is a fairy tale by British author J. K. Rowling. The story was published in installments by Rowling online, before its official publication in November 2020. The Ickabog is Rowling's first children's book since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published in 2007.
context_section_description: The Ickabog is aimed for children between the ages of seven and nine. It is the first children's book written by J. K. Rowling that is not set in the Harry Potter universe, and at its announcement, Rowling confirmed that The Ickabog would not be a Harry Potter spin-off. Rowling has described the book as a "political fairytale ... for slightly younger children". Rowling first drafted The Ickabog between 2003 and 2007, as a gift for her children. She intended to publish The Ickabog after the Harry Potter series, but stopped after focusing on adult fiction instead. She left her script of The Ickabog in her attic until 2020. Rowling says that she went to her 50th birthday party wearing a dress containing the "lost manuscript" of The Ickabog. Rowling has made some adjustments to her original script after feedback from her children.
  Rowling announced that she would release the book online in 34 free online daily instalments between 26 May and 10 July 2020. Rowling said that "I’ve decided to publish The Ickabog for free online, so children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times, can read it or have it read to them." The first two chapters were released on 26 May 2020. Later, chapters three to five were published on 27 May 2020. The final chapter, 64, was published on 10 July 2020. In the first 24 hours, The Ickabog website had more than 5 million views from 50 countries.
  The Ickabog is expected to be released as a published book, e-book and audiobook in November 2020. Rowling has said that she will donate her royalties from the book to charity. Rowling also organised an illustration competition with ideas for images needed for each chapter of the book. The best illustrations will be featured in the published book. The book will be published by Hachette UK.
caption: J. K. Rowling wrote The Ickabog
exif: {"Image Copyright": "\u00a9 2010 Daniel Ogren Photography", "Image ExifOffset": "2144", "Image Padding": "[]", "EXIF Padding": "[]"}