How to Train Your Dragon

by Cressida Cowell

Overview

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a truly extraordinary Viking hero known throughout Vikingdom as "the Dragon Whisperer" ... but it wasn't always so. Travel back to the days when the mighty warrior was just a boy, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans. Can Hiccup capture a dragon and train it without being torn limb from limb? Join the adventure as the small boy finds a better way to train his dragon and becomes a hero!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316587112
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/06/2025
Series:	How to Train Your Dragon Series
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cressida Cowell is the #1 internationally bestselling author and illustrator of the How to Train Your Dragon and Wizards of Once series. She grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland, where she spent her time writing stories, fishing for things to eat, and exploring the island. She now lives in Hammersmith, England, with her husband, three children, and a dog named Pigeon.

Table of Contents

	A Note from the Author	1
1.	First Catch Your Dragon	2
2.	Inside the Dragon Nursery	14
3.	Heroes or Exiles	31
4.	How to Train Your Dragon	46
5.	A Chat with Old Wrinkly	61
6.	Meanwhile, Deep in the Ocean	67
7.	Toothless Wakes Up	69
8.	Training Your Dragon the Hard Way	81
9.	Fear, Vanity, Revenge, and Silly Jokes	89
10.	Thor'sday Thursday	103
11.	Thor Is Angry	127
12.	The Green Death	145
13.	When Yelling Doesn't Work	156
14.	The Fiendishly Clever Plan	166
15.	The Battle at Death's Head Headland	177
16.	The Fiendishly Clever Plan Goes Wrong	182
17.	In the Mouth of the Dragon	186
18.	The Extraordinary Bravery of Toothless	190
19.	Hiccup the Useful	200
	Epilogue by the Author	211

Editorial Reviews

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.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 3-5-Young Hiccup may be the son of Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Hooligans, but he isn't exactly heroic Viking material. When he and the other boys of his tribe are sent on a mission to fetch dragons to train, Hiccup comes back with the scrawniest creature ever seen. Toothless, as Hiccup names him, is also rude, lazy, and greedy, but when the tribe is faced with horrible danger, Hiccup's unorthodox dragon-training techniques prove successful and he and his unique beast become true heroes. Sprinkled throughout with funny sketches, scribbles, and ink blots, this is a goofy and exciting tale of an underdog who proves that brains can be just as important as brawn. Kids will hoot at the ridiculous names and sympathize with Hiccup's exasperation with his truly obstinate but strangely lovable dragon. A delightful read that fans of Ian Whybrow's "Little Wolf" series (Carolrhoda) will particularly enjoy.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Facing sneering peers, plus a cave full of vicious young dragons and two mountainous, malign adult ones, brings an ordinary Viking lad around to becoming a "Hero the Hard Way" in this farcical import. Dispatched to capture and train some breed of dragon as a rite of passage into the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, unprepossessing Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III returns not with a mighty Gronkle, or an aptly named Monstrous Nightmare, but a shrimpy creature laughingly dubbed "Toothless"-who also turns out to be about as trainable as a cat, with an attitude to match. But Hiccup and Toothless develop into a doughty team when two humongous, fire-breathing Sea Dragons pull up to shore, looking for the odd village or army to devour. Cowell adds lots of jagged, William Steig-like sketches to a narrative rich in dragon muck, cartoon violence, and characters with names like Snotlout and Dogsbreath the Duhbrain. Her genuinely fierce, intelligent, and scary dragons nearly steal the show, but Hiccup and his diminutive sidekick ultimately come out on top, both displaying a proper hero's mix of quick wit, courage, and loyalty. (Fiction. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews

Wildly enjoyable…The hilarious farce will appeal to heroic fiction fans as much as to scaredy-cats.”

Booklist

[Tennant] brings a slew of Scottish accents to this high-spirited rendering of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III’s journey toward true heroism…The taunting tones applied to Snotlout and his grunting sidekick, Dogsbreath, are a hoot. Tennant has a special talent for creating larger-than-life voices, particularly the lisping and stuttering of the dragon, Toothless, and the deep, malicious purring of the sea dragon. Music and ominous dragon roaring between scenes accentuate the performance.”

AudioFile