In November 2020 the world saw a new children’s book by J.K.Rowling, The Ickabog. The manuscript has been ready for a long time but only this year did Rowling decide to publish it as a way to help people around the world survive the lockdown. So, she came up with a contest and suggested that publishers around the world include illustrations by local young readers.
The Russian translation of The Ickabog was put together by publisher Azbuka Attikus, and during the summer it accepted art works by young readers from all over Russia, giving them book excerpts and lists of topics. More than 30 drawings by children aged 6-12 finally were included in the book. Here are some of them.
1. King Fred the Fearless
Sofya Volkiva, 12 years old, city of Yoshkar-Ola in the Mari El Republic
2. Daisy and a white gravestone she has been watching during the long evenings
Nelli Alperovich, 12 years old, Rostov-on-Don
3. From the palace’s balcony, Lady Eslanda watching troops pass by
Riana Yamalieva, 7 years old, city of Nizhnevartovsk in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Territory
4. King Fred, as he said, he saw the Ickabog monster
Darya Meshkova, 10 years old, town of Pushkin near St. Petersburg
5. King Fred laying in bed scared by the Ickabog
Evita Muchkinova, 9 years old, city of Elista in the Republic of Kalmykia
6. Lord Spittleworth who drinks wine all the time
Yevdokia Obolenskaya, 11 years old, town of Ostrov in Pskov Region
7. Lady Eslanda goes down the secret spiral staircase
Olesya Kashirina, 12 years old, city of Petrozavodsk in the Karelia Republic
8. Tax collectors have a black uniform with huge white eyes pictured on their backs
Artem Avdeyev, 7 years old, Moscow
9. Ma Grunter wants to punch Berti the boy with her heavy crutch
Alisa Ostrovskaya, 11 years old, Moscow
10. Berti is hiding on the ground among beetroot leaves
Alisa Kurcheva, 11 years old, Novosibirsk
11. Basher John attacks Daisy while Berti rescues her at the last moment
Elena Yeremenko, 10 years old, Moscow
12. Good monster Ickabog sitting in front of the fire
Yekaterina Omelnitskaya, 12 years old, Orenburg
13. Daisy and the monster watching the night sky
Maya Matrosovich, 10 years old, St. Petersburg
14. The Ickabog meets Daisy and a tear falls from his cheek
Alina Zakharova, 12 years old, town of Arsha in Chelyabinsk Region
15. Wedding day of Lady Eslanda and Goodfellow Prime Minister
Uma Abdulazimova, 10 years old, city of Grozny in Chechen Republic