How to Train Your Dragon #1: How to Train Your Dragon Award-winning National Share a Story Month

Author/Illustrator

Cressida Cowell

Cressida grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. The island had no roads, houses or electricity. For the first four years, the family would be dropped off like castaways on the island by a local boatman and picked up again two weeks later. Imagine being like Robinson Crusoe and having a whole island to yourself to explore…

By the time Cressida was eight, the family had built a small stone house on the island, so they no longer had to camp out in tents, which made life much drier. Her father got a boat, so they could fish for enough food to feed the family for the whole summer.

Every year, Cressida spent the long summer holiday, and some of the spring, on the island. The house was lit by candle-light, and there was no electricity, telephone or television, so Cressida and the family lived like people in the olden days. In the evening, Cressida’s father told the children old Scottish tales about the people who lived on the islands round about, who were always fighting and tricking each other, and about dragons living in caves in the cliffs.

Cressida spent her time writing stories, fishing for things to eat, and exploring the island looking for these dragons. These childhood experiences (quite apart from her fluency in Old Norse, of course), made her delighted to be approached to translate the Hiccup memoirs…

After leaving school Cressida studied English at university, and then got degrees in graphic design and illustration at art college. For her final project at art school she created a childrens’ book called Little Bo Peep’s Library Book and was lucky enough to have that book published in 1998. She has gone on to write ten more picture books, including the popular Emily Brown stories, which won the Nestle Childrens’ Book Prize in 2006.

In 2002 she began to write a book for older children. Remembering the stories she had written on the island as a child, these ideas became the book How to Train Your Dragon. There are now nine books in the Hiccup series, and a DreamWorks Animation film of How to Train Y0ur Dragon came out in 2010!

Cressida lives in London with her husband, three children and a hamster.

Reviews

1. Flashburn the Dragon
   on 28 September 2012

   AMAZING

   This book is very funny and entertaining. Once you start reading it you want to know what happens next because it is very exciting and action packed. If you like battles, dragons and vikings you will love this book. By Flashburn the Dragon aged 7 and a quarter.

   5out of 5

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What kids think

1. HermIone333
   on 2 March 2021

   This book is really good and is a great introduction to the series of How to train Your Dragon. The characters are really great, as are the funny illustrations to go with it. I would definitely recommend this book!

   5out of 5

2. livelaughread
   on 14 June 2016

   this book was quite easy but i can’t wait to read more about hiccup and his adventures in berk

3. ParisLucy
   on 23 May 2016

   It is a great story for all ages and it is a story for kids that loves adventures. I think that it is an amazing story. READ IT NOW!!!!

   5out of 5

4. bluepeter123456
   on 26 June 2015

   This book was exciting because it had lots of adventure and mystery in it.

5. crazystuff
   on 7 August 2014

   this book is amazing

   5out of 5

6. dragons9
   on 19 July 2014

   i think the movie is better than the book.

7. cheem021
   on 12 July 2014

   okish book

8. ILoveBooks1595
   on 27 May 2014

   I love this book soooo much I have read two other of the books too and Cressida is my favourite author!

   5out of 5

9. bookaholic202
   on 8 March 2014

   Toothless is totally my favorite character. He is so cute. Toothless Daydream, indeed!

10. Prisoner01
    on 4 March 2014

    If you’ve watched the film, don’t be fooled, the book and film are VERY different.

11. ssabes987
    on 25 July 2013

    This book is just spectacular.It is about a boy called Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the third and he goes on amazing,exciting adventures.

    5out of 5

12. pawprint2
    on 7 March 2013

    I didn’t really like this book

    2out of 5

13. fifilola27
    on 19 February 2013

    I couldnt put the book down its about a boy called hiccup who his dad is a hero type thing who killes dragons and hiccup wanted to be one too! hiccup realises that the dragons are really sweet and he saves them!!!

14. coolcars
    on 7 September 2012

    I loved this book and it is one of the best I have read in my life. I would happily reccomend.

    5out of 5

15. wearo
    on 16 March 2012

    Hiccup is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoever dosen’t like this book is weird.

16. smileitsfriday
    on 1 March 2012

    Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a really unlikely hero. Always out-shone by Snoutlout, his glory hunting cousin who thinks Hiccup would make an awful chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe. But Hiccup can talk to dragons! He meets Toothless, the toothless Common – or – Garden (Or Toothless Daydream, as he likes to call himself!) and they show their Hero-ness by saving the tribe from a Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus! * * * * *! Loved it! It was sooooo funny!

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