London - A book of wizarding fairytales by Harry Potter- author Joanne K. Rowling went on sale across the globe Thursday - designed to thrill millions of fans and to raise funds for a children's charity.

The Tales Of Beedle The Bard, the first new book from the author since Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, her 7th and last in the series, has been translated into 28 languages and is expected to raise millions for a charity caring for children in institutions across eastern Europe.

"This is an amazing Christmas present for Harry Potter fans... We expect the book to go straight to number one in the charts," said Sarah Clarke, buyer for the book chain Waterstone's.

The Tales Of Beedle The Bard were originally produced in a limited edition of just seven books, each hand-written and illustrated by the author herself.

Rowling, 43, gave six of the volumes to people who helped make Harry Potter a success, while the 7th copy was snapped up for 1.95 million pounds (4 million dollars) by online retailer Amazon at an auction a year ago.

Net proceeds from the sales will go to the Children's High Level Group (CHLG), a charity founded by Rowling and Emma Nicholson, a Liberal Party member of the European Parliament.

The Tales Of Beedle The Bard have only an indirect link to the Harry Potter series, and were described by Rowling as "a wonderful way to say goodbye."

The volume of wizarding fairytales is left to Hermione Granger by Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the seventh and final Harry Potter book.

Later Thursday, Rowling was to host a tea party for around 200 schoolchildren in Edinburgh, the city in Scotland where she started to write her acclaimed Harry Potter series. (dpa)