Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was a truly extraordinary Viking Hero. Warrior chieftain, awesome sword-fighter and amateur naturalist, he was known throughout Vikingdom as 'the Dragon Whisperer', on account of his amazing power over these terrifying beasts. But it wasn't always like that. In fact, in the beginning, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was the most put upon Viking you'd ever seen. Not loud enough to make himself heard at dinner with his father, Stoick the Vast; not hard enough to beat his chief rival, Snotlout, at Bashyball, the number one school sport and Certainly not stupid enough to go into a cave full of dragons to find a pet...

About the Author

Cressida grew up in Chelsea. She studied English Literature at Keble College, Oxford University. She then worked at Macmillan in the Fiction department. She took a BA at St Martins in graphic design and then an MA in Narrative Illustration at Brighton. She is married with two children and lives in London.

Reviews

Gr 3-5-Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, son of the Viking King Stoick the Vast, must learn how to train a dragon in order to pass Hero Initiation; failure to do so will lead to banishment. Hiccup captures a toothless, diminutive sized dragon, making him the laughingstock of the community. Despite obstacles, Hiccup attempts to train the dragon, he aptly names Toothless, in kinder ways than instructed. It is on Thor'sday Thursday that Hiccup fails the initiation and is facing the reality of living in exile. Soon after, an urgent war council meets to discuss a solution for the Sea Dragon looming near their homeland. The council eventually seeks Hiccup's help because he is the only one who can speak Dragonese. Hiccup has the chance to redeem himself and lead the entire clan as he formulates a plan to defeat the enormous creature. Gerard Doyle narrates Cressida Cowell's novel (Little, 2004), giving each character a distinctive voice and personality; appropriate sound effects suit the text. Listeners will delight in the occasional bard-like singing. Kids are enthralled with dragons, and this unique and humorous title will intrigue them.-Beth McGuire, Fannett-Metal School District, Willow Hill, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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 20030309 A super story, inventive, ingenious, perpetually surprising. One to cherish. -- Armadillo, Spring 2003 20030309 A wonderfully wittily written and illustrated story. -- Waterstones Quarterly Magazine 20030401 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. -- Lindsey Fraser, Sunday Herald, Glasgow 20030406 ... raucous and slapstick... liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell's] riotous drawings, notes and maps. -- The Financial Times 20030405 [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 20030501 Cowell brings Hiccup to life in this silly and delightful little novel. -- St Paul Pioneer Press 20050108 Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful. -- Independent on Sunday 20030622

In this riotous paper-over-board farce, the timid protagonist from Cowell's picture book Hiccup: The Seasick Viking proves himself worthy of the sobriquet "Hope and Heir to the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans." The protagonist is also given author credit (as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III), with Cowell billed as translator "from the Old Norse." Indeed, "Hiccup" contributes an introductory note: "I was not the sort of boy who could train a dragon with a mere lifting of an eyebrow. I was not a natural at the Heroism business. I had to work at it. This is the story of becoming a Hero the Hard Way." From his initial challenge-Hiccup and his fellow warriors-in-training must each pluck a dragon from a "Dragon Nursery" where 3,000 young critters are hibernating-the likable lad faces a host of hurdles and beats tremendous odds to emerge triumphant. After selecting a tiny, toothless dragon ("I shall call [my dragon] Fireworm," says nemesis Snotface Snotlout. "What are you going to call yours, Hiccup? Sweetums? Sugarlips? Babyface?"). Hiccup tackles the chore of training the stubborn creature, which leads to some fresh, funny dialogue between the two (Hiccup has the rare ability to speak "Dragonese"). A rollicking finale finds the duo rescuing Vikings from a ravenous, mountain-size dragon. Short chapters, clever slapstick, kid-pleasing character names (e.g., Fishlegs, Dogsbreath the Duhbrain) and goofy, childlike drawings will keep even reluctant readers turning these pages-and chuckling as they go. Ages 8-12. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.