J.K. Rowling released The Ickabog online for children during the COVID-19 pandemic. She began publishing the story in free installments on the internet in 2020, with chapters appearing regularly for young readers at home during school closures.
The Ickabog is a standalone fairy tale set in the fictional kingdom of Cornucopia. Its plot concerns a legendary monster, political manipulation, injustice, and the consequences of spreading fear. Rowling had written the story years earlier while working on the Harry Potter books, then returned to revise it for publication.
A print edition followed in 2020, and proceeds from the book were directed toward helping groups affected by the pandemic. The project also invited children to create illustrations for the story, with winning images used in editions of the book.
The Ickabog is separate from Harry Potter and from Rowling’s adult crime fiction. It is a children’s fantasy novel created as a charitable publishing project during an exceptional period.