What is the name of J.K. Rowling’s 2020 children’s fantasy novel?

J.K. Rowling’s 2020 children’s fantasy novel is The Ickabog.

The Ickabog is a political fairy tale set in the fictional kingdom of Cornucopia. Its plot concerns a legendary monster, a ruler named King Fred the Fearless, and the way fear and propaganda can be used by people in power. The story is separate from the Harry Potter universe.

Rowling originally wrote the tale for her own children while working on Harry Potter, then revisited and completed it during the COVID-19 pandemic. She first published it online in instalments in 2020, inviting children to create illustrations for a related competition. The printed edition followed later that year.

The novel is sometimes confused with The Christmas Pig, another Rowling children’s book, but The Christmas Pig was published in 2021. The Ickabog’s title refers to the mysterious creature feared by people in Cornucopia.