Photo: Luigi Novi / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What strikes me about Cressida Cowell is how a single book series can outgrow its author. How to Train Your Dragon started as her children's books, then DreamWorks turned it into a franchise that probably eclipsed the originals in most people's minds. I respect that she has the bona fides too: an Oxford degree from Keble College, a 2006 Nestle prize, an MBE, and a Royal Society of Literature fellowship. That mix of commercial reach and institutional recognition is rare for a writer who also illustrates. I'd love to know how she feels watching Hiccup belong to the screen now.
Overview
Cressida Cowell (née Hare, born 15 April 1966) is a British author. She is best known for the book series How to Train Your Dragon, which has subsequently become a media franchise as adapted by DreamWorks Animation. As of 2015, the series has sold more than seven million copies around the world.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Cressida Cowell
- Name (Japanese)
- クレシッダ・コーウェル
- Reading
- くれしっだ・こーうぇる
- Born
- April 15, 1966 (age 60)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Horse
- Origin
- London, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / children's writer / author / illustrator / visual artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Keble College
Awards & achievements
- 2006 Nestlé Children's Book Prize
- Member of the Order of the British Empire
- 2021 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | How to Train Your Dragon | — | |
| Notable work | How to Train Your Dragon | — |
6. Links
Writer — see all → · Children's writer — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.