Multi-million-copy selling (and former Children’s Laureate), author and illustrator, Cressida Cowell delighted 500 children with an inspiring talk about her exciting journey as a writer and revealed the inspiration behind her award-winning books.
Co-hosts, St Andrew’s School and Fourbears Books (Caversham), invited nine other local primary schools to listen to Cressida Cowell who confessed, “My handwriting was terrible and my spelling wasn’t very good either and that’s what I thought being a writer was all about.”
Renowned for her bestselling How to Train Your Dragon, The Wizards of Once and Emily Brown series, Cressida Cowell was keen to share details of her new Dragon Tales collection and the second book in her Which Way to Anywhere series.
Later, she visited Reception, Years 1 and 2 at Pre-Prep, when she drew them a very special Toothless and Hiccup illustration (to keep), read them an Emily Brown story and answered their questions.
Head of English at St Andrew’s, Sophie Hearn said: “Having Cressida Cowell with us today is a dream come true; she is an icon of the literary world. It was a privilege that 500 children from St Andrew’s and nine other local schools could hear why and how Cressida started writing, and learn more about her new books - 'Which Way Round the Galaxy' and 'How to Train Your Dragon: Dragon Tales' - too. An enormous thank you to Alex Forbes for arranging her visit.”
Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation are making a live-action movie of How to Train Your Dragon!, due to hit the screens in March 2025. Here Be Dragons, an exhibition co-curated by Cressida Cowell and one of her dragon creations, Toothless, is at the Story Museum in Oxford until July next year.
Alex Forbes, owner of Fourbears Books, said: “We are delighted that so many children saw Cressida Cowell today and now have signed copies of her books. Thank you to St Andrew’s, particularly Mrs Hearn, for hosting such a special event, and thanks to Hachette Children's Group for this opportunity.”
You can still buy one of Cressida's books from Fourbears Books online here. We can't wait to see what fantastical story she writes next...
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