JK Rowling Picks Sophie Mills’ Ickabog Illustration

Southland Girls’ High School student Sophie Mills, 12, was one of four New Zealanders amongst 32 submissions worldwide to have an illustration included in JK Rowling’s latest book, The Ickabog. About 18,000 entries were submitted for the fairy tale book. Stuff’s Jamie Searle reports on how Sophie drew the entry.

Rowling put The Ickabog online when children and their families around the world were in lockdown earlier this year. She invited children, aged 7 to 12, to submit illustrations for the book which features the monster Ickabog, Searle writes.

The Invercargill student took about two weeks to design and complete the drawing of an overweight villain in the book, Lord Flapoon.

Sophie’s mother Jenny Mills, an art teacher at Girls’ High, said:

“I’m really stoked … She spent so much time on it that we hoped she would at least get on the short list.”

Original article by Jamie Searle, Stuff, November 10, 2020.

Photo by Kavinda Herath.