BFF-29 JK Rowling to publish fairy tale free for locked-down children

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JK Rowling to publish fairy tale free for locked-down children

LONDON, May 26, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The creator of the “Harry Potter”
books JK Rowling said on Tuesday she would release a free online
serialisation of a bed-time story she wrote for her children 10 years
ago.

The superstar British writer said she decided to pull “The Ickabog”
story “down from the attic” and publish it for children forced to stay
at home during the coronavirus 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,” she said in a
statement.

Rowling said she would post the first two chapters on a dedicated
website — www.theickabog.com — on Tuesday, with 34 further
instalments released each weekday until July 10.

She then intends to publish the story in English in November and
other languages later on. All royalties will be given to projects
assisting groups particularly affected by the pandemic.

Written to be read aloud, “The Ickabog” is a story “in the fairy
tale tradition” set in an imaginary land and aimed primarily at
children aged between seven and nine.

It is unrelated to any of Rowling’s other previous works, though she
noted it was penned “in fits and starts” between her “Harry Potter”
books.

“‘The Ickabog’ is a story about truth and the abuse of power,” she
said, adding it was not “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,”
she said.

The author is inviting budding young artists inspired by its “host
of colourful characters and fast-paced plot” to illustrate the story
and enter their artworks into a global competition being run by her
publishers.

The winners will have their drawings included in the published book
in their part of the world.

“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,” she said.

Rowling added she wanted to see “imaginations run wild”.

“Creativity, inventiveness and effort are the most important things:
we aren’t necessarily looking for the most technical skill!” she said.

BSS/AFP/MRU/2236hrs