Category: Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is set to be brought to life this October by award-winning illustrator Jim Kay and guest collaborator Neil Packer

This illustrated version has been nearly two years in the making, a mammoth task as highlighted by the meticulously detailed artwork shown below. As the project unfolded, Jim Kay decided that it was time to bring in guest collaborator and dear friend, Neil Packer, to help bring the story to life. Jim said:

‘Illustrating Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was always going to be a challenge; the scale of the book meant for a huge variety of characters and locations to choose from. It was a great privilege to have Neil Packer helping with this daunting task. As a fan of his work it was wonderful to see his illustrations appear in the text, and so nice to be working with him in the team. He is perfect for Potter.’

Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood by Jim Kay

Neil Packer added: ‘As both a friend and a colleague it was an honour to be asked to work alongside Jim Kay on this book. Jim has invested so much in this series already and I was very conscious of not wanting to encroach on the stunning work which only he can do. The sheer scale of this book and the wonderful richness of imagination within the writing perhaps left space for a second approach and it has been a great joy and a challenge to try and work in harmony with Jim’s pictures and to visualise some of J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world.’

Neil is a well-renowned illustrator in his own right, and his distinctive artwork has been woven through the book complementing Jim’s narrative scenes. One example of his exquisite artwork is this beautiful imagining of Firenze’s Divination classroom.

Firenze’s Divination classroom by Neil Packer

These are just snippets of the exciting illustrations set to feature in this edition. You can expect to see so much more, from Jim Kay’s portrait of Dolores Umbridge and stunning visualisation of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries to Neil Packer’s cutaway of the Ministry of Magic and beautifully drawn magical objects.

The illustrated edition of Harry’s fifth year adventure is published in hardback on 11^th October 2022.

A Magical Year takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the seasons at Hogwarts and pairs the beautiful illustrations by Jim Kay with 366 quotations from the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling.

The illustrations feature Jim Kay’s most iconic art from the Illustrated Editions of Harry Potter as well as previously unseen pencil sketches and preparatory pieces, offering a unique and fascinating insight into the artist’s sketchbook. This gorgeous gift book features a favourite anniversary or meaningful memory from the series each day and was published on 5^th October by Bloomsbury in the UK with Scholastic in the US shortly following on 19^th October.

For international readers, A Magical Year will be available in Danish, Estonian, Faroese, Swedish, Slovakian, Portuguese (Portugal), Korean, Spanish, Japanese, Italian and Russian this month.

The Hogwarts Library book Quidditch Through The Ages, written by J.K. Rowling as esteemed fictional Quidditch expert Kennilworthy Whisp, has been reimagined by award-winning illustrator Emily Gravett. This colourful new edition is published today in Hardback and Deluxe editions by Bloomsbury in the UK and Scholastic in the US.

The book, arguably the most famous sports guide in the wizarding world, contains all you need to know about the history, the teams, the rules – and the breaking of the rules – of the noble sport of Quidditch.

Tasked with illustrating the fictional history of this magical sport, Emily Gravett’s wildly creative imagination conjured up a cornucopia of sporting memorabilia to surprise and delight. With items and events lovingly created in a dazzling range of media, and infused with the illustrator’s trademark visual wit, these charming and funny artworks are the perfect pairing for J.K. Rowling’s insights into the magical, airborne sport.

Proceeds from the sale of this new edition will go to J.K. Rowling’s own international children’s charity Lumos, which helps some of the world’s most vulnerable children and young people to have a better life, and Comic Relief.

Stars from the Wizarding World including Jude Law, Warwick Davis, Noma Dumezweni, Jason Isaacs, Evanna Lynch, Sally Mortemore and Bonnie Wright have joined forces to record individual stories from J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts Library book The Tales of Beedle the Bard: the first time the book has been brought to life in audio, which is also supporting J.K. Rowling’s international children’s charity Lumos.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard was first referenced in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the fictional fairy tales all wizarding children grew up with.  Within this collection of fables was the origin story of the Deathly Hallows, ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’, which taught Harry about the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world.

These funny and captivating tales are accompanied by explanatory notes from Professor Albus Dumbledore (narrated by Jude Law). His illuminating thoughts reveal the stories to be much more than simple moral tales

The Tales of Beedle the Bard was originally handwritten and illustrated by J.K. Rowling as a limited edition of only seven copies, one of which was sold at auction in 2007 in aid of charity. Published the following year, the book has helped raised money for her international children’s charity Lumos ever since.

For more information about The Tales of Beedle The Bard audio edition go to wizardingworld.com.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has been brought to life by award-winning illustrator Jim Kay. This is the fourth book in the Harry Potter series to be illustrated by him and has been published today by Bloomsbury in the UK and Scholastic in the US.

The fiery cover shows Kay’s stunning reimagining of the first task in the Triwizard Tournament when Harry goes head to head with a Hungarian Horntail.

Newt Scamander’s Hogwarts Library classic Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has been brought to life with stunning illustrations by award winning artist Olivia Lomenech Gill. The colourful new edition is now published by Bloomsbury in the UK and Scholastic in the US

The award-winning artist has reimagined every beast in the textbook with a variety of different techniques, such as charcoal sketches and watercolours. You can see Olivia in action here.

Proceeds from the sale of these books will go to Comic Relief and J.K. Rowling’s own international children’s charity Lumos, which both help some of the world’s most vulnerable young people to have better lives.

To find out more and read an exclusive interview with artist Olivia Lomenech Gill, head over to Pottermore.

Pottermore revealed on 5^th September that the 2015 illustrated print edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, featuring magnificent illustrations by award-winning artist Jim Kay, is now available as a Kindle in Motion eBook. Featuring never-before-seen animations, this is the first time that Jim Kay’s Harry Potter illustrations are available in a digital format.

The Kindle in Motion edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone can be read on any device with the Kindle app.

You can see Jim Kay’s beautiful illustrations brought to life, on pottermore.com. With moving portraits of Albus Dumbledore, flying snitches and fluttering keys this really is magic in motion.