Cressida Cowell

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Cressida Cowell

10.8.17CressidaCowellByLuigiNovi1.jpg
Cowell in 2017
Born (1966-04-15) 15 April 1966 (age 57)
London, England
OccupationWriter
Alma mater University of Oxford
Notable works How to Train Your Dragon
SpouseSimon Cowell
Children3
Signature
Cressida Cowell signature.svg
Website
www.cressidacowell.co.uk

Cressida Cowell MBE FRSL (born 15 April 1966) [1] is a British children's author, popularly known for the book series, How to Train Your Dragon , which has subsequently become an award-winning franchise as adapted for the screen by DreamWorks Animation. [2] As of 2015, the series has sold more than seven million copies around the world. [3]

Contents

In addition to her other publications, Cowell works with illustrator Neal Layton [4] in the ongoing series of Emily Brown stories. The first in the series, That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown , won a Nestlé Children’s Book Award.

Personal life

The Hon. Cressida Cowell was born on 15 April 1966 in London. She is the daughter of Michael Hare, 2nd Viscount Blakenham. Her uncle, by marriage, is U.S. Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer.

As a child, Cowell states she "grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland," [5] and that it was during summers spent on the Inner Hebrides, [6] where she first began to develop her writing and drawing skills:

"I spent a great deal of time as a child on a tiny, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland...By the time I was eight, my family had built a small stone house on the island, and with the boat, we could nearly fish for enough food to feed the family for the whole summer.

"From then on, every year we spent four weeks of the summer and two weeks of the spring on the island. The house was lit by candle-light, and there was no telephone or television, so I spent a lot of time drawing and writing stories." [7]

Cowell attended Keble College, Oxford where she studied English, and she also attended Saint Martin's School of Art and Brighton University where she learned illustration. She studied at Marlborough College [8] [9] 1982–84. [10]

Cressida Cowell presently resides in London [11] with her husband Simon, a former director and interim CEO of the International Save the Children Alliance; daughters Maisie and Clementine; and son Alexander. [12] [13]

List of works

Awards

Cowell was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to children's literature. [17]

In 2021, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL). [18]

Related Research Articles

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<i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> (novel series) Series of childrens books written by Cressida Cowell

How to Train Your Dragon is a series of children's books written by British author Cressida Cowell. The books are set in a fictional Viking world, and focus on the experiences of protagonist Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, as he overcomes obstacles on his journey of "becoming a hero, the hard way". The books were published by Hodder Children's Books in the UK and by Little, Brown and Company in the US. The first book was published in 2003 and the 12th and final one in 2015. By 2015, the series had sold more than seven million copies around the world. The books have subsequently been adapted into a media franchise consisting of three animated feature films, several television series and other media, all produced by DreamWorks Animation.

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<i>That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown</i> Book by Cressida Cowell

That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown is a children's picture book written by Cressida Cowell and illustrated by Neal Layton, published in 2006. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award, as well as being shortlisted for the Booktrust Early Years Awards and longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

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<i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> (2010 film) DreamWorks Animation film

How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 American animated action fantasy film loosely based on the 2003 book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois from a screenplay by Will Davies, Sanders, and DeBlois, and stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig. The story takes place in Berk, a mythical Viking village; Hiccup, an undersized teen wishing to become a dragon slayer like the other Vikings, injures a rare Night Fury dragon but is unable to bring himself to kill it. He instead helps and befriends the dragon, and quickly discovers that things are not exactly as they seem in the conflict between Vikings and dragons.

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<i>How to Train Your Dragon</i> DreamWorks Animation media franchise

How to Train Your Dragon is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the eponymous series of children's books by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). The franchise also contains five short films: Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010), Book of Dragons (2010), Gift of the Night Fury (2011), Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019). A live-action reboot from Universal Pictures is in development and scheduled for release on June 13, 2025.

<i>How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World</i> 2019 DreamWorks Animation film

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a 2019 American animated action fantasy film loosely based on the book series by Cressida Cowell. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures, it is the sequel to How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and the third and final installment of the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy. Written and directed by Dean DeBlois and produced by Bonnie Arnold and Brad Lewis, the film stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Craig Ferguson, and F. Murray Abraham. The film follows 21-year old Hiccup seeking a dragon utopia known as the "Hidden World" while coming to terms with Toothless' new bond with a female Fury, as they deal with the threat of a ruthless dragon hunter named Grimmel the Grisly.

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<i>How to Train Your Dragon 2</i> (soundtrack) 2014 soundtrack album by John Powell

How to Train Your Dragon 2: Music from the Motion Picture is a soundtrack album to the 2014 film How to Train Your Dragon 2, and was released by Relativity Music Group on June 13, 2014. The film is a sequel to the 2010 film How to Train Your Dragon, which itself based on the British book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell, and is the second instalment in the How to Train Your Dragon film series. The score is composed by John Powell, who also scored for its predecessor. In addition to the original score featured, Powell also collaborated with Jónsi, to write two songs for the film, which were performed by Jónsi, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson and Mary Jane Wells, while a song "Into a Fantasy" performed by Alexander Rybak was released on June 9, and was included in the European version of the soundtrack. Much like the score of the first instalment, this score received critical acclaim praising Powell for his work in the film. A limited edition soundtrack was published by Varèse Sarabande label in May 2022. It featured previously unedited cues and demos from the compositions.

How to Train Your Dragon is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation.

References

  1. "F.A.Q.s - Cressida Cowell – Quick Facts". Cressidda Cowell - Official Website. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  2. How to Train Your Dragon (film)#Accolades
  3. "Children's author Cressida Cowell scoops philosophers' award for fight against stupidity". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  4. "Neal Layton - Illustrator and Author". www.neallayton.co.uk.
  5. "Cressida Cowell | World Book Day". Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  6. "Secret Scottish isle inspired dragon tales" BBC News, 30 March 2010.
  7. "Cressida Cowell | F.A.Q's | Children's Author". Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  8. "Children's Laureate, and former Marlborough student, entertains at LitFest". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  9. "How to Train Your Pupils - Tes meets Cressida Cowell | Tes Magazine". www.tes.com. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  10. "School Memories: Cressida Cowell". www.independentschoolparent.com. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  11. DavidHigham.Co.UK Archived 6 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine [ dead link ] Archive.org link
  12. "Official website – About me". Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  13. Hutton, Caroline (25 April 2021). "Author Cressida Cowell on how she proved her teachers wrong". The Sunday Times magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2021.(subscription required)
  14. Chilton, Martin (8 October 2012). "How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel, by Cressida Cowell: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  15. "Error Page | BookTrust". www.booktrust.org.uk.
  16. "Blue Peter Book Awards 2018". www.booktrust.org.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  17. "No. 63135". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 2020. p. B17.
  18. Bayley, Sian (6 July 2021). "RSL launches three-year school reading project as new fellows announced". The Bookseller . Retrieved 6 July 2021.
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Preceded by Children's Laureate of the United Kingdom
2019–2022
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