The Ickabog was published under J.K. Rowling’s own name in 2020 as a standalone fairy tale.
Rowling wrote the story years earlier while working on Harry Potter, then revisited it during the COVID-19 pandemic. She released it online in installments beginning in May 2020, inviting children to submit illustrations for a competition. The printed edition followed later that year.
The novel is set in the fictional kingdom of Cornucopia. Its plot centers on a legendary creature called the Ickabog and explores political fear, propaganda, injustice, and the consequences of selfish leadership. It is not a Harry Potter book and does not take place in the wizarding world.
The Ickabog is also separate from The Christmas Pig, another children’s novel Rowling published in 2021. Its publication history is distinctive because readers first encountered it as a free online serial during the pandemic.