J.K. Rowling Announces New Children's Book THE ICKABOG

Author of the famed Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling has announced that she is releasing a new children's book, The Ickabog.

The first two chapters of The Ickabog are available now online for free. She will release daily installments being released between May 26 and July 10.

The full book will be available in November.

Rowling started writing The Ickabog while she was still working on Harry Potter, but initially kept it only for her own children, according to Variety. Rowling's website states that the book was written for children aged 7 to 9 to read to themselves, and for parents to read aloud to their children.

"A few weeks ago at dinner, I tentatively mooted the idea of getting 'The Ickabog' down from the attic and publishing it for free, for children in lockdown. My now teenagers were touchingly enthusiastic, so downstairs came the very dusty box, and for the last few weeks I've been immersed in a fictional world I thought I'd never enter again," Rowling said.

"'The Ickabog' is a story about truth and the abuse of power," Rowling said. "To forestall one obvious question: the idea came to me well over a decade ago, so it isn't intended to be read as a response to anything that's happening in the world right now. The themes are timeless and could apply to any era or any country."

Rowling also started an illustration contest, beginning May 29, for young kids to submit drawings for the book.

"Having decided to publish, I thought how wonderful it would be if children in lockdown, or otherwise needing distraction during the strange and difficult time we're passing through, illustrated the story for me. There will be suggestions about the illustrations we might need for each chapter on 'The Ickabog' website, but nobody should feel constrained by these ideas. I want to see imaginations run wild! Creativity, inventiveness and effort are the most important things: we aren't necessarily looking for the most technical skill!" said Rowling.

All of Rowling's author royalties will go towards those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the original article on Variety.

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