Cressida Cowell Press Reviews
The penultimate book in the popular series. - The Schools Advertiser
If you haven't discovered How To Train Your Dragon you are missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature. - The Guardian
A smart, funny read that will keep children on the edges of their seats. - Daily Express
Cressida Cowell's 11th and penultimate volume in the phenomenal How to Train Your Dragon series. - Sunday Times
Embellished with plenty of the clashing fonts, ink blots and scribbly pencil drawings that make this series of books so unique. How To Betray a Dragon's Hero takes the saga to a completely new level and is an enormously enjoyable read. - Bookbag
Exciting adventures, great characters and plenty of jokes and funny drawings make Hiccups adventures some of our favourite books. - tBk Mag
As gripping and as rousing as ever... as with the best children's literature, these books are about much bigger things: endurance, loyalty, friendship and love. And Cowell's illustrations and visual storytelling enhance the action no end. - The Daily Telegraph
By turns hilarious and wise, it's never predictable, brilliantly illustrated and always delightful. - The Times
Always thrilling, funny and brilliantly illustrated. - Daily Express
Ceaselessly inventive... young readers are lucky to have her.**** - Books For Keeps
Especially good... raises the series to classic status. - Times
Top stuff. - Daily Telegraph
'Ahead of the film of the same title due to be released next March, this is a special edition of the first book in the uproarious series about Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Highly original, and full of useful tips for dragon-owners everywhere.' - Woman's Weekly
'is not only funny, well written and thrilling, but also wise about what we owe those who love us.' - The Times
'If light amusement is required, Cressida Cowell's How to Break a Dragon's Heart delivers all it promises. There are lots of illustrations and a playfulness with language that will draw in even the most reluctant reader.' - Daily Telegraph
Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful. - Independent on Sunday
'a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes.' - Amanda Craig, Times
[Cressida Cowell] puts a contemporary spin on the old brains over brawn moral and brings the story to a climax with a thrilling dragon duel. Lots for lots of different readers to enjoy. - Books for Keeps
... raucous and slapstick ... liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell's] riotous drawings, notes and maps. - The Financial Times
CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK: This book is great fun and has a Blackadderish sense of humour ... full of the sort of jokes that will make schoolboys snigger. - Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times
PRAISE FOR THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON BOOKS: 'Fiercely exciting and laugh-aloud funny, it is as full of joy for children of 7+ who have given up reading as for those who love it.' - Amanda Craig, The Times
As gripping and as rousing as ever...as with the best children's literature, these books are about much bigger things: endurance, loyalty, friendship and love. And Cowell's illustrations and visual storytelling enhance the action no end - The Daily Telegraph
As gripping and as rousing as ever...as with the best children's literature, these books are about much bigger things: endurance, loyalty, friendship and love. And Cowell's illustrations and visual storytelling enhance the action no end - The Daily Telegraph
Exciting adventures, great characters and plenty of jokes and funny drawings make Hiccup's adventoures some of our favourite books - tBK Mag
Exciting adventures, great characters and plenty of jokes and funny drawings make Hiccup's adventoures some of our favourite books - tBK Mag
Exudes relentless energy...embelished with plenty of the clashing fonts, ink blots and scribbly pencil drawings that make this series of books so unique...takes the saga to a new level and is an enormously enjoyable read - The Bookbag
Exudes relentless energy...embelished with plenty of the clashing fonts, ink blots and scribbly pencil drawings that make this series of books so unique...takes the saga to a new level and is an enormously enjoyable read - The Bookbag
There is heartfelt emotion behind the jokes and wild pencil drawings - The Sunday Times
There is heartfelt emotion behind the jokes and wild pencil drawings - The Sunday Times
A smart, funny read that will keep children on the edge of their seats - Daily Express
A smart, funny read that will keep children on the edge of their seats - Daily Express
About Cressida Cowell
Cressida Cowell, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2019–2021
Cressida Cowell grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. The name of the island is a secret, but it was such a small island it wasn’t really big enough to have a name at all. There were no roads or shops or electricity on the island, just one house and a storm-blown wilderness of sea-birds and heather.
Every year, Cressida’s family spent four weeks of the summer, and two weeks of the spring, on the island. The family had to catch their own fish to eat. The house was lit by candle-light, and there was no telephone or television, so Cressida spent her time drawing and writing stories.
In the evening, Cressida’s father read the children tales of the Vikings, who had invaded this island Archipelago over half a millennium before, of the quarrelsome Tribes who fought and tricked each other, and of legendary dragons who were supposed to live in the caves in the cliffs. This was how Cressida herself first began to write stories about Vikings and dragons, back when she was eight or nine years old. Many years later, she turned her original childhood ideas into the book How to Train Your Dragon, featuring Hiccup the reluctant Viking, and his equally reluctant dragon, Toothless.
When Cressida wasn’t on the island, she was going to school at Marlborough College in Wiltshire where she met and became close friends with Lauren Child, a fellow author/illustrator and the creator of TV’s Charlie and Lola. Cressida and Lauren remain close friends. Indeed Lauren is godmother to Cressida’s daughter Clemmie.
After school, Cressida obtained a BA in English Literature from Oxford University, a BA in Graphic Design from St Martin’s and an MA in Narrative Illustration from Brighton.
Cressida wrote and illustrated her first picture book, Little Bo Peep’s Library Book, for Hodder Children’s Books in 1998. Her first novel for eight to twelve year olds, How to Train Your Dragon, was published to popular and critical acclaim in 2003: ‘The next big thing in children’s literature,’ wrote The Independent on Sunday. ‘Irresistibly funny, exciting and endearing,’ said The Times.
How to Train Your Dragon has now been published in over thirty languages. Film rights were sold to DreamWorks Animation in 2003 for a substantial sum and the filmed version was released into cinemas in March 2010. The 3D animated film from the studio that created Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda, was directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (the directors of Lilo and Stich) and produced by Bonnie Arnold (who produced Toy Story).
Cressida Cowell is the head judge of the Wicked Young Writers Award and provided these top tips to budding writers:
* My top writing tip would be to read lots, to give you a feel for the way different stories can be told. Also practise writing as much as you can – write, and re-write – don’t worry if you don’t finish a story, as long as you are practising, that’s what matters. Also don’t worry if your stories aren’t very long: I didn’t start out writing books as long as the ones I write now.
* You can still do research when you are creating your own fantasy world. Kids often think that ideas get beamed into an author’s head, or that when you write fantasy you can’t do background reading, but many ideas in The Wizards of Once were sparked by books I read about the history of magic, and magical creatures.
* You can be inspired by your own experiences. Ideas I had about Vikings and dragons during summer holidays when I was 9 years old became 12 books, and a film and TV series. I had a slightly unusual childhood (I spent my summers on an uninhabited Scottish Island), but the world we all live in is full of extraordinary, wonderful idea for stories. You only have to watch an episode of Blue Planet to see that’s true.
* I always begin my stories with a map of my imaginary place. Lots of other authors have done the same – Robert Louis Stevenson drew a map of Treasure Island before starting to write. This is a really easy way of thinking about characters and setting.
* Often kids say to be that they aren’t very good at writing, but I know that’s not true – what they’re struggling with is the mechanics of getting the words onto paper. If you can make up a game in the playground, or you tell your friends stories, you can be an author! Get an adult to write or type for you, if you need to.
* Keep an ideas notebook so you can scribble down ideas and drawings. This doesn’t need to be neat, and no one should be correcting it for spelling, because spelling doesn’t matter. I kept an sketchbook for The Wizards of Once for about 5 years.
More About Cressida Cowell