Cressida Cowell Press Reviews
Mentioned in the 100 Best Children's Books Ever (Novels) - The Daily Telegraph
The first in the successful series... perfect for tricky boy readers, as the action scenes are first-class. - The Sunday Telegraph
If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature Filled with thrilling adventure and action-packed heroes - Country Child
By turns hilarious and wise, it's never predictable, brilliantly illustrated and always delightful - The Times
Proper modern classics - Sunday Express
Hilarious - guardian.co.uk
A laugh out loud romp of a Viking adventure - Observer
The start of the most original series for kids in ages. Funny, clever and great for the whole family to share - Dundee Courier
Her genuinely fierce, intelligent and scary dragons nearly steal the show, but Hiccup and his diminutive sidekick ultimately come out on top, both displaying a proper hero's mix of quick wit, courage and loyalty - Kirkus
One of the most enjoyable and original children's stories I have heard in a long time - The Independent
I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly - Independent on Sunday
Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful - Independent on Sunday
This light-hearted, well-illustrated mock saga would appeal to girls and boys. My Dad liked it too. More please. - The Glasgow Herald
What we have here is Harry Potter meets Blackadder. The result is a story that anyone with a tolerance of snot and gore would find richly entertaining - The Glasgow Herald
Cowell's wittily written books have become today's childhood must-read stories - Books Quarterly (Waterstones)
This book will definitely make you laugh out loud - Torquay Herald Express
Gripping adventure stories complete with quests and battles, a vivdly imagined alternative world - The Daily Telegraph
Top stuff - The Daily Telegraph
Cressida Cowell's series of the memoirs of Hiccup the Viking are funny, outrageous and will lure in the most reluctant reader - The Spectator
Funny, thrilling and ideal for children needing to discover the hero inside themselves - The Times
Wise, colourful and funny - Dorset Echo
Cowell is a master of storytelling...On a profound level, this series celebrates divergence and being true to oneself, teaching children that they don't have to be carbon copies of their parents - Hay Festival of the Arts
Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon books fill every spread with scales and fangs and typographical jeux d'esprit - The Independent
Descriptive and flowing, Cowell's Dragon novels have become deserved hits at the cinema, too. - Time Out
Has a good story to it - Daily Record
Full of bright wit and brutal honesty, this is a brilliant book that launched a huge series ... This is a fantastic adventure that explores failure as well as success and weighs the cost of being different against the price of fitting in with sneaky maturity and shining humour - The List
Pretty much everyone I know who has children adores these audiobooks and have listened to them on many a long (and otherwise fractious) car journey. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a famous dragon trainer but he had to learn the hard way. Proper LOL funny as read by former Doctor Who David Tennant, you'll love listening to them too. - Sarra Manning, Red Magazine Online
The first in the successful series... perfect for tricky boy readers, as the action scenes are first-class. - The Sunday Telegraph
Mentioned in the 100 Best Children's Books Ever (Novels) - The Daily Telegraph
If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature Filled with thrilling adventure and action-packed heroes - Country Child
By turns hilarious and wise, it's never predictable, brilliantly illustrated and always delightful - The Times
Proper modern classics - Sunday Express
Hilarious - guardian.co.uk
A laugh out loud romp of a Viking adventure - Observer
The start of the most original series for kids in ages. Funny, clever and great for the whole family to share - Dundee Courier
Her genuinely fierce, intelligent and scary dragons nearly steal the show, but Hiccup and his diminutive sidekick ultimately come out on top, both displaying a proper hero's mix of quick wit, courage and loyalty - Kirkus
One of the most enjoyable and original children's stories I have heard in a long time - The Independent
I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly - Independent on Sunday
Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful - Independent on Sunday
This light-hearted, well-illustrated mock saga would appeal to girls and boys. My Dad liked it too. More please. - The Glasgow Herald
What we have here is Harry Potter meets Blackadder. The result is a story that anyone with a tolerance of snot and gore would find richly entertaining - The Glasgow Herald
Cowell's wittily written books have become today's childhood must-read stories - Books Quarterly (Waterstones)
This book will definitely make you laugh out loud - Torquay Herald Express
Gripping adventure stories complete with quests and battles, a vivdly imagined alternative world - The Daily Telegraph
Top stuff - The Daily Telegraph
Cressida Cowell's series of the memoirs of Hiccup the Viking are funny, outrageous and will lure in the most reluctant reader - The Spectator
Funny, thrilling and ideal for children needing to discover the hero inside themselves - The Times
Wise, colourful and funny - Dorset Echo
Cowell is a master of storytelling...On a profound level, this series celebrates divergence and being true to oneself, teaching children that they don't have to be carbon copies of their parents - Hay Festival of the Arts
Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon books fill every spread with scales and fangs and typographical jeux d'esprit - The Independent
Descriptive and flowing, Cowell's Dragon novels have become deserved hits at the cinema, too. - Time Out
Has a good story to it - Daily Record
Full of bright wit and brutal honesty, this is a brilliant book that launched a huge series ... This is a fantastic adventure that explores failure as well as success and weighs the cost of being different against the price of fitting in with sneaky maturity and shining humour - The List
' The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special.' - Books Quaterly (Waterstones)
'... full of charm ... imaginative and bursting with inventive, off-the-wall humour, making them great stories to be read aloud.' - Waterstones Books Quarterly
'another triumph from the creative pen of Cressida Cowell.' - Writeaway.org
'... inspired series ... its enchantment lies primarily in the comical, affectionate and often irritable relationship between Hiccup (the only nerd in the violent Viking Hooligan tribe) and his runty little dragon Toothless.' - Amanda Craig, The Times
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
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
How to Train Your Dragon is a delightful narrative caper... It offers a challenging read to 11-year-olds, and rewards reading aloud, especially for those who relish an element of theatre at story time. - Sunday Herald, Glasgow
... raucous and slapstick ... liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell's] riotous drawings, notes and maps. - The Financial 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
'a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes.' - Amanda Craig, Times
Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful. - Independent on Sunday
Cowell writes laugh-out-loud books with plenty of boy appeal. Cowell's anarchic drawings suit the slapstick humour. - The Herald
'If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature.' - Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's editor
'What a fab book ... will definitely make you laugh out loud!' - Torquay Herald Express
Highly original. Uproarious. - Woman's Weekly
The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special. - Books Quaterly (Waterstones)
... full of charm ... imaginative and bursting with inventive, off-the-wall humour, making them great stories to be read aloud. - Waterstones Books Quarterly
another triumph from the creative pen of Cressida Cowell. - Writeaway.org
... inspired series ... its enchantment lies primarily in the comical, affectionate and often irritable relationship between Hiccup (the only nerd in the violent Viking Hooligan tribe) and his runty little dragon Toothless. - Amanda Craig, The Times
a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes. - Amanda Craig, Times
If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature. - Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's editor
What a fab book ... will definitely make you laugh out loud! - Torquay Herald Express
Quite simply, Cressida Cowell has an exceptional ability to give children what they like. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a Viking who doesn't fit in: gawky and geeky, his adventures with his hunting-dragon Toothless are madcap and marvellous. Give it to a child, and see them become engrossed immediately. - The Independent
If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature Filled with thrilling adventure and action-packed heroes - Country Child
I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly - Independent on Sunday
This light-hearted, well-illustrated mock saga would appeal to girls and boys. My Dad liked it too. More please. - The Glasgow Herald
Has a good story to it - Daily Record
I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly - in fact, for my money, she's the NEXT BIG THING in children's literature... Read with gigantic gusto by David Tennant, and featuring some shatteringly good sound-effects, this kept us all laughing on the edge of our seats for 3 ½ hours. - Independent on Sunday
... one of the most enjoyable and original children's stories I have heard in a long time ... David Tennant reads with outstanding gusto, giving full and varied wellie to the story's rich assortment of Viking and dragon characters. - The Independent
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
A super story, inventive, ingenious, perpetually surprising. One to cherish. - Armadillo, Spring 2003
A wonderfully wittily written and illustrated story. - Waterstones Quarterly Magazine
... raucous and slapstick... liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell's] riotous drawings, notes and maps. - The Financial Times
How to Train Your Dragon is a delightful narrative caper... It offers a challenging read to 11-year-olds, and rewards reading aloud, especially for those who relish an element of theatre at story time. - Lindsey Fraser, Sunday Herald, Glasgow
If you haven't already read this book, you're missing out on one of the most unlikely heroes ever to end up in print. - Mania
PRAISE FOR HICCUP: '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
Irresistably funny, exciting and endearing - Amanda Craig, The Times
'Cowell writes laugh-out-loud books with plenty of boy appeal Cowells anarchic drawings suit the slapstick humour.' - The Herald
Hilarious and charming. - Observer
I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly - in fact, for my money, she's the NEXT BIG THING in children's literature... Read with gigantic gusto by David Tennant, and featuring some shatteringly good sound-effects, this kept us all laughing on the edge of our seats for 3 ? hours. - Independent on Sunday
If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature. - Guardian children's editor
Cowell brings Hiccup to life in this silly and delightful little novel. - St Paul Pioneer Press
The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special - Books Quaterly (Waterstones)
'If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature.' - Guardian children's editor
"The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special" - Books Quaterly (Waterstones)
"How to Train Your Dragon should be a cornerstone of any KS2 reading for pleasure drive... How to Train Your Dragon is one of those rare children's texts that every school needs a cupboard-sized set of for whole-class reading." -- Tom Tolkien - School Reading List
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
