LONDON - J.K. Rowling will publish a fairy tale called "The Ickabog" free online so that children on lockdown can read it, with the first chapter to be published on Tuesday.

"Over 10 years ago, I wrote a stand-alone fairy tale called The Ickabog," Rowling said. "Until very recently, the only people who’d heard the story of The Ickabog were my two younger children."

The Harry Potter author said the mostly handwritten manuscript had been stored in her attic until a few weeks ago. She said she had done some rewriting in recent weeks.

"I’ve decided to publish The Ickabog for free online, so children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times, can read it or have it read to them," she said.

Forbes listed Rowling as the highest paid author in 2019, with an estimated net worth of $92 million as of July that year.