Cressida Cowell grew up mostly in Central London. She has 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 has written and illustrated eight books in the popular Hiccup series. How to Train Your Dragon has reached over 100,000 sales and is now published in over 33 languages. A Dreamworks feature film is due to be released in 2010. Cressida lives in Hammersmith with her husband, three children and two cats.
'exuberantly illustrated ... laugh out-loud books, they will convert even the most relcutant reader to take their first dip.' -- Julia Golding, TES 'a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes.' -- Amanda Craig, Times 'Cowell writes laugh-out-loud books with plenty of boy appeal ... Cowell's anarchic drawings suit the slapstick humour.' -- The Herald '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 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 Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful. -- Independent on Sunday 'funny, outrageous and will lure in the most reluctant reader.' -- The Spectator '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