Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Cornucopia. It’s a happy place, ruled over by a vain and silly king. He too is happy as long as he has beautiful clothes, the best food in the kingdom and the love of his people. Unfortunately King Fred is easily led by his greedy, lazy cronies – Lords Spittleworth and Flapoon. They tell King Fred whatever he wants to hear as they eat his food and live a luxurious life alongside him.

Besides this, the only thing that causes a ripple in Cornucopia and its surrounding lands, is the long-standing story of a terrible creature that lives in The Marshlands, in the far North of the kingdom.

This creature is called the Ickabog. Whether myth or fairytale, everyone knows of its sharp claws, eyes that glow and scales that cover its huge body.

One day after hours of listening to his subject’s requests, King Fred saw his last subject before dinner. This man has travelled far from The Marshlands and told a tale of horror about the Ickabog. King Fred has been worried about his popularity slipping lately, after a particularly messy circumstance. He decides to hunt down this Ickabog, put his subject’s minds at rest and look like a hero in the process.

His quest kicks off an endless trail of lies, deceptions, misunderstandings and loss. Years pass as grief, hunger and poverty sweep through Cornucopia as lies are built on lies, the rich get richer and the poor even worse off.

The myth of the Ickabog still remains. Did King Fred really see it? Did he stab it with his best jewelled sword? Will the Royal Guard be able to protect the people of Cornucopia?

Told in a eye-of-god storyteller format, The Ickabog is a tale of a happy, healthy kingdom, a gullible king and his more-evil-by the-day, advisors. The Ickabog itself goes from a fairytale which frightens children, and a topic of drunken men’s songs, to the reason Cornucopia falls into ruin and poverty. Or is it?

A grand and glorious tale of kings, courts and mythical monsters. Brave soldiers abound, clever cooks plan revenge and orphaned children rise up against evil.  This new story from J K Rowling reminded me of The Tale of Desperaux for its storytelling style and Holes and Harry Potter for it’s clever plotting.

The Ickabog would be a fabulous Read Aloud for classrooms or bedtime storytelling. First launched in parts online during the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic, it features illustrations from children in New Zealand, Australia, India, Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. These drawings were chosen after a world-wide competition to illustrate this story, was launched. Royalties from The Ickabog are going to J K Rowling’s charitable trust Volant, which are then distributed to charities supporting vulnerable groups affected by Covid 19.

Author – J K Rowling

Age – 8+

Quick Review

A grand fairytale about a land called Cornucopia, ruled by a vain, silly, and easily-led king. A mythical monster called The Ickabog lives in the people’s songs and whisperings. After a report of seeing the real thing, the king sets off to slay it once and for all, kicking off a series of events and lies that bring Cornucopia to its knees.

Luckily there is also a hero or two in a fairytale, and they fight hard to get loved ones back and return Cornucopia to its former self. Along the way they answer all those questions about the mythical Ickabog.

(Magic, Monster, Truth, Lies, Good Evil, Fake News, Gullible, Greed, Power, Gold, Crime, Wealth, Courage, Grief, Loss, Fairytale, Kingdom, Cunning, Poverty, Murder, Loss, Answers, Myth, Betrayal)