J.K. Rowling’s “The Ickabog” Now Available in Five Additional Languages

by · June 3, 2020

As of today, June 3, J.K. Rowling’s new children’s story, The Ickabog, is now available in five languages other than English: French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.

This update comes after the first installments of The Ickabog were released in English last week, beginning the same day that the children’s story was first announced.

 

 

In the announcement on the official website for The Ickabog, the title of the story was written in translation into each of the five languages.

The first five chapters of The Ickabog have been released in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese as of 3:00 p.m. BST today, and the installments will continue every weekday until July 17 (one week later than the English-language version). Additionally, the official illustration competition for children launches today in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Latin America (including Brazil) and will be run by the local publishers.

The Ickabog will be published in print and e-book formats in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese this November. An audiobook will follow.

As noted in a press release, which you can find below, translations into Russian and simplified Chinese are forthcoming.

Press Release

Free online serialisation of J.K. Rowling’s The Ickabog now available in French, Italian, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese

Today (Wednesday 3rd June) the free, online serialisation of J.K. Rowling’s original fairy tale The Ickabog reaches an international audience, with translations being available in French, Italian, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese at www.theickabog.com. Translations into Russian and [s]implified Chinese will follow soon.

Rowling wrote The Ickabog over ten years ago as a bedtime story for her younger children and decided to share the personal family favourite now to help entertain children, parents and carers confined at home during the [c]oronavirus lockdown.

The story serialisation in translation launches at 3 pm BST/4 pm CEST today, when the first five chapters will be posted on the official website (www.theickabog.com), with daily instalments appearing each weekday, up until Friday 17th July. Written to be read aloud, The Ickabog is a fairy tale, set in an imaginary land, and is a complete stand-alone story unrelated to the author’s other work. It will appeal to children between the ages of 7 and 9 but can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Following the free online serialisation, The Ickabog will be published in print and eBook [formats] in November, in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and English. J.K. Rowling will pledge her royalties from sales of The Ickabog to projects assisting groups particularly impacted by the pandemic – further details will be announced at a later date.

Keen for children to be involved as the story unfolds, J.K. Rowling is inviting budding young artists to illustrate her story and be inspired by a host of colourful characters and fast-paced plot as the serialisation appears online.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to enter their children’s artwork into an official illustration competition being run by J.K. Rowling’s publishers worldwide, to win a place in the published book in each territory. The competition is launched today in France, Italy, Germany, Spain (including Latin America) [sic] and Brazil, joining the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, the USA and Canada to make this a truly international collaboration between the writer and young artists around the world. J.K. Rowling will not be part of the judging process but will be suggesting scenes and characters to draw on a daily basis during the online serialisation.

By using the hashtag #TheIckabog, children (or their parents/guardians if they are under 13) are encouraged to post paintings and drawings on social media platforms, with J.K. Rowling dropping in on Twitter occasionally to pick out some of her favourites. A selection of images will also be posted on a gallery on the Ickabog website.

More information about the newly launched serialisation translations and links to each of the publishers’ illustration competitions can be found at www.theickabog.com after 1500hrs BST/1600hrs CEST, today.

J.K. Rowling introduced her story on Tuesday 26th May 2020 at www.jkrowling.com/j-k-rowling-introduces-the-ickabog/.

Are you excited for The Ickabog in translation?