The Ickabog

JK is back in children's territory with this glorious fairytale that has just the right mix of silliness and peril. It's peppered by children's drawings (those who won The Ickabog Illustration Competition this summer) and lends itself to being read aloud.

J.K. Rowling has written a book for children - and you know what? It's a charmer. The Ickabog was created for her own children between the Harry Potter books (how does she do it?) and was stashed away until the arrival of Covid, when she found that children were stuck indoors without much to do. So she published it online initially and invited illustrations from her young readers. Now it's a proper book, with some of those pictures. It's not a bit like HP. It has some of the elements, including fabulous eatables, but it's more of a fairy story. Think A.A. Milne's Once Upon a Time crossed with Eva Ibbotson's The Abominables with a bit of Fattipuffs and Thinnifers and you're there. There's a terrifically vain king, Fred, abominable courtiers, feisty child heroes, Bert and Daisy, and a monster who is, well, I can't really say, can I?

High suspense, a glorious cast of villains, and plenty of jokes

Her imagination is a marvel and her plotting ever-sophisticated in what could otherwise be deemed a simple tale....The illustration are thrilling, well chosen and a breath of fresh air. It's hard to put an age range on this book which, if read aloud, could captivate children as young as four or five, but will be lapped up especially by seven to ten-year-olds and entranced this 47-year-old.

This original fairytale by JK Rowling is about the power of hope and friendship to triumph against all odds.

JK Rowling at the height of her powers: charming, imaginative, big ideas for small people as fabulous characters - from little Daisy Dovetail to snivelling Lord Spittleworth - come up against villains both real and imagined...Rowling began her journey with The Ickabog by reading her children a chapter each night. Aimed at readers between seven and nine, it's "best read aloud", for its lyricism and cliff-hangers both.

Coronavirus has touched everything, and children's literature reflects this sooner than other forms. Many have been gripped by JK Rowling's online children's novel, The Ickabog (ages 6+), published in print this autumn by Little, Brown. With King Fred's country in the grip of lies, corruption, murder and incompetence, it is a strangely relevant and darkly funny treat.

Rowling's fairytale, first conceived as a bedtime story for her young children and released online chapter by chapter during lock down, gets a lavish hardback publication with illustrations by child readers from around the world.

The Ickabog reminds us what a great storyteller JK Rowling is. In this original fairytale the fearsome Ickabog who has been terrorising the kingdom of Cornucopia turns out not to be as scary as everyone thought. Featuring illustrations from young readers around the world, including an Irish 8-year-old, this is a beautiful production whose profits go to a good cause.

[A] handsome volume...this is zinging storytelling with bite and a twist. It also has extraordinarily skilled and apt illustrations.

'A] gripping fairy tale, complete with delightful illustrations from young fans....ultimately it is a tale of good triumphing over evil, and a tribute to the power of hope and friendship. Surely set to become a classic. Children's Book of the Week

Thanks to COVID-19, JK Rowling rediscovered an unfinished tale that she had written for her own children ten years ago "in fits and starts" between the seven Harry Potter books. During lockdown she put it online for free, inviting the millions of children stuck at home around the world to contribute illustrations. Now, and in our darkest hour, it is published; and just like Harry Potter, it is a light for when other lights go out.... The winning illustrations by children of 7-11 from Australia, New Zealand, India, Ireland and Britain are a delightful touch, and royalties are donated to the Volant Charitable Trust to assist groups particularly hurt by Covid-19. Rowling has written some entertaining novels for adults, but it is as a children's writer that she has achieved phenomenal world-wide fame. The Ickabog won't just be put under every lucky child's Christmas tree: it is a monster hit that deserves to be.

An original fairy tale written by one of the nations favourite authors. A great addition to your children's reading collection, but an equally good read for adults who loved the Harry Potter series. Mythical creatures, horrible monsters and a perfectly happy kingdom called Cornucopia - what ever could go wrong?