The Ickabog was J.K. Rowling’s 2020 children’s fantasy novel first shared online for free.
Rowling published The Ickabog online in installments during 2020, inviting children to read the story and submit illustrations. The project offered a new serialized fantasy during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the finished book was later published in print and digital editions.
The story is set in the fictional kingdom of Cornucopia. Its title comes from the Ickabog, a legendary creature that becomes central to the kingdom’s fears and political manipulation. Unlike Harry Potter, the novel is not set in a school of magic and does not belong to the Wizarding World.
Proceeds from the book were directed to charitable causes supporting groups affected by the pandemic. Readers sometimes confuse The Ickabog with The Christmas Pig, Rowling’s later children’s novel, which was published in 2021.