A book of fairy tales written and illustrated by Harry Potter creator J K Rowling is being published for charity.

The Children's High Level Group says it hopes to raise $8 million through sales of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard." Rowling co-founded the charity, which supports institutionalised children.

The book is a collection of five wizarding tales referred to in Rowling's Potter saga. It was initially produced in an edition of seven handwritten copies. One was bought by retailer Amazon at an auction in December for almost $4 million.

The book will be published December 4 by Bloomsbury in Britain and Scholastic in the United States. Amazon plans a more expensive collectors' edition priced $100.