' 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 20091110

Cressida Cowell grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. She was convinced that there were dragons living on this island, and has been fascinated by dragons ever since. 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 loves illustrating her own work, but also loves writing books for other people to illustrate as the end result can be so unexpected and inspiring. Cressida has written and illustrated eight books in the popular Hiccup series. The unique blend of child centred humour and sublime prose made Hiccup an instant hit and the series is now published in over 30 languages. How to Train Your Dragon is now a major DreamWorks Animation feature film and has received both Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. A sequel is scheduled for release in 2013 and an animated series is launching on the Cartoon Network in 2012. Also the author of picture books, Cressida has won the Nestle Children's Book Prize 2006 and has been shortlisted for many others. Cressida lives in Hammersmith with her husband and three children. Check out Cressida's Hiccup website: www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com