J.K. Rowling’s children’s novel The Ickabog was first published in 2020.
The Ickabog is a standalone political fairy tale set in the fictional kingdom of Cornucopia. Rowling originally wrote it years earlier as a story for her own children, then revisited it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She published the story online in instalments beginning in May 2020, allowing children to read it free while schools and families faced disruption. The print edition followed in November 2020, with illustrations selected through a children’s competition.
The book is separate from the Harry Potter universe. It explores power, propaganda, fear, inequality, and the way rulers can manipulate public opinion. Its title refers to the mysterious creature known as the Ickabog.