Cressida Cowell Books

Cressida Cowell is an author, illustrator, and the current Children’s Laureate. She’s most famous for writing the How to Train Your Dragon series, which has since been adapted into blockbuster movies and TV shows. Her latest series is The Wizards of Once, and she’s also written the Emily Brown series for younger children. Cressida Cowell’s books are perfect for children with a wild imagination, who love fantasy, and want to get stuck into a whole series of books. Find our selection of her books here at Books2Door, and check out the other Children’s Laureates like Chris Riddell, Jacqueline Wilson, and Quentin Blake.

Biography

Cressida Hare was born in London in 1966, the daughter of Michael Hare, 2nd Viscount Blakenham. Her brother Caspar, 3rd Viscount Blakenham, is second in line to be Earl of Listowel. She grew up between London and Little Colonsay, an uninhabited island in the Scottish Hebrides. Her time on the island was the inspiration for How to Train Your Dragon. 

Cressida studied English at Oxford University and Illustration at Brighton University and Saint Martin’s School of Art. She lives in London with her husband Simon, former director and CEO of Save the Children Internation, and has three children. She wrote and illustrated her first picture book in 1998, and her first novel in 2003.

Cressida has won the Nestle Smarties Children’s Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award. She was appointed Children’s Laureate in 2019, and her two-year tenure was extended to 2022 due to COVID-19. She was appointed MBE in 2020 for services to children’s literature and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2021.

Best-Known Books

How to Train Your Dragon is best known as an animated film trilogy from DreamWorks, complete with merchandising and multiple spin-off TV series. However, it all began with a 2003 book by Cressida Cowell. The series follows Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third, one of the only people ever who can speak and understand the language of the dragons. Across the twelve book series, Hiccup and his friends Toothless the dragon and Fishlegs navigate the unstable relationship between Vikings and dragons.

The Wizards of Once follows Wizard boy Xar, who sets out to steal a witch’s magic because his own never arrived. Instead, he captures a Warrior girl called Wish. Although they’ve been taught to hate each other, the two must team up to defeat the evil queen. This series is a must for all fantasy fans, and the whole series is available in The Wizards of Once 4 Book Collection.

The Emily Brown series of picture books are illustrated by Neal Layton. They’re about Emily and her adventures with her toy rabbit Stanley. There are five books in the award-winning series, published between 2006 and 2018. Emily meets the Queen, Father Christmas, an unhappy teddy bear, a Thing, and Matilda the Elephant. These charming tales are perfect bedtime stories for 0-5-year-olds and are available in a great five book bundle.