Children who are stuck at home now have something to look forward to as JK Rowling, the famous author behind the "Harry Potter" series, unveils the first chapters of her new work "The Ickabog" which is designed to fill children's' minds with wonder and fantasy amid the growing catastrophe that the coronavirus brings.
The story is available to be viewed on its official website, which can be found here, where the author also revealed in a statement of how she came up with the tale.
Long overdue
According to Fox News, JK Rowling got the idea for "The Ickabog" for a long time now, and she told the story to her two children chapter by chapter while she worked on it every single night. She added, "However when the time came to publish it, I decided to put out a book for adults instead, which is how The Ickabog ended up in the attic."
The children's storybook was reportedly planned to be published after the last "Harry Potter" book, but the author chose to lay low from publishing, according to her website.
The first two chapters of the story have been released to the public for free viewing on Tuesday. The first showcases the ruler of Cornucopia, King Fred the Fearless, and the five-year-old Bert Beamish.
The myth of the ferocious monster called "The Ickabog" is also revealed which is notorious for a variety of reasons including "eating children and sheep."
Rowling's children were enthusiastic about the news that she planned to retrieve the forgotten story that she continued to work on. Along with writing the following chapters, the author once again started to read the story to her family.
The author commented that the endeavour was one of the most thrilling moments of her writing career as her two children, being the first two readers of the book, reminisced what they remember about the wondrous world their mother created, as reported by BBC.
Reaching out to children
Rowling wrote that the story of the new book revolves around truth and the abuse of power. She also called upon children to make up their illustrations about the story to keep them occupied during their time at home.
"I want to see imaginations run wild," she wrote. Adding that creativity, inventiveness, and effort are some of the most important things to have, as she is not necessarily looking for technical skill in drawing.
CNN reports that publishers all over the world will have the freedom the choose which of the submitted illustrations would fit the storybook best.
In a bid to lend a helping hand to those who have severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Rowling has pledged to donate all of the royalties.
The author's website also states that she will be posting a chapter or several ones every weekday between May 26 and July 10 on the official website for "The Ickabog." She also revealed that translations are in development and will be posted on the website when further details are available.
Related Article: NBA in Disney? League Explores Possibility of Bringing Game to Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
