by As tall as two horses, Eyes like glowing balls of fire, Long, razor-sharp claws, The Ickabog is coming..
The Ickabog by J. K Rowling, published by Hachette is a fairy tale that speaks of another era and takes young readers into an imaginative world with very Victorian world ambience.
In the kingdom of Cornucopia, the ruler King Fred is misled and is literally taken on a ride by two selfish statesmen who work under him. The book has finally got published in print form in late 2020 and makes for a riveting read for 9-12 year olds.
There are elements of mystery, magic, hope amongst the misery, poverty and fear depicted. The book also has some interesting illustrations from children across the world who won a contest and got their art featured in the book. What was a pleasant surprise was it did have illustrations from kids including from India.
This is nothing like the Harry Potter series and the new world penned by the author is equally imaginative enough and about this mythical monster by name Ickabog.
Is Icakbog a myth or a reality? The reader is led to various assumptions that get cleared as the pages are turned.
The book is written in a traditional fairy telling format and comes in a hardcover book and makes for a good read-aloud too for younger kids.
Here’s a short excerpt:
“Inside the flour sack, Daisy smelled the sausages of Baronstown mingling with the cheese fumes of Kurdsburg, and wondered which of the two she was being taken to. Her father had occasionally taken her to buy cheese and meat in these famous cities. She believed that if she could somehow give the driver the slip when he lifted her down from the wagon, she’d be able to make her way back to Chouxville in a couple of days. Her frantic mind kept returning to her father, and where he was, and why all the furniture in their house had been removed, but she forced herself to concentrate on the journey the wagon was making instead, to be sure of finding her way home again.”
