INDIA'S LITTLE ILLUSTRATORS

These Indian children were among the 34 child illustrators who won the chance to be featured in JK Rowling’s new book, The Ickabog

The creator of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling had the idea for The Ickabog over a decade ago. She would make up chapters to read out to her two younger children as bedtime stories. But the book ended up in her attic as she began work on a book for adults.

Then, Covid struck. Realising how hard the lockdown was for children in particular, Rowling brought out the Ickabog stories from her attic and serialised it for free online to entertain children.

Soon, the Ickabog illustration competition contest was launched for children age seven to 12. Over 18,000 entries poured in from India, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Thirty-four winners, including eight from India, now have their illustrations in the new exquisite hardback edition of The Ickabog (Hachette India, ₹1299). Five little illustrators from India tell us about their Ickabog experience.

I first started using water colours during The Ickabog competition. Splashing paint creates wonderful effects and I love it! The red paint splashed all across the page is what makes this illustration special. It is based on this paragraph: “When Mr and Mrs Tenderloin’s neighbours woke up the next day and found chickens all over the road, they hurried to tell Tubby his birds had escaped. Imagine the neighbours’ horror when they found the enormous footprints, the blood and the feathers, the broken-down back door, and no sign of either husband or wife.”