The Incomplete Book of Dragons

How to Train Your Dragon

by Cressida Cowell

Long ago, the world was full of dragons. But what happened to them? Where are they now? These pages are taken from the notebooks of Viking Hero Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third when he was just a boy. A keen dragonwatcher, Hiccup paints a picture of the brilliance and fire and spirit of that lost dragon world. Featuring dragon profiles, dragon anatomy, dragon riding tips and lots more must know info e.g. how to spot the difference between an arsenic adderwing and a glow worm (you don't want to mix those two up) and what to do when confronted with a Hellsteether. This is a must for all keen dragonwatchers out there...

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Picture Books

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 2014

About the author

Cressida Cowell grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. She was convinced that there were dragons living on this island, and has been fascinated by dragons ever since. She has a BA in English Literature from Oxford University, a BA in Graphic Design from St Martin's and an MA in Narrative Illustration from Brighton. Cressida loves illustrating her own work, but also loves writing books for other people to illustrate as the end result can be so unexpected and inspiring. Cressida has written and illustrated eight books in the popular Hiccup series. The unique blend of child centred humour and sublime prose made Hiccup an instant hit. How to Train Your Dragon is now published in over 30 languages. A DreamWorks Animation feature film is out in March 2010. Also the author of picture books, Cressida has won the Nestle Children's Book Prize 2006 and has been shortlisted for many others. Cressida lives in Hammersmith with her husband and three children.

Her Books:
1. How to Train Your Dragon (2003)
2. How to Be a Pirate (2004)
3. How to Speak Dragonese (2005)
4. How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse (2006)
5. How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale (2007)
6. A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons (2008)
7. How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm (2008)
8. How to Break a Dragon’s Heart (2010)
9. How to Steal a Dragon's Sword (2011)
10. How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel (2012)

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dragons. I loved this book because its full of dragon species and dragon facts. I loved all of the illustrations and the way the author wrote it. I love learning about dragons and I'm a big fan of the TV Series and films. One day I would love to fly on an actual real living dragon! These books are different from the films & TV Series but are just as good.

[Tyrell ⚔️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about the dragons in the HTTYD universe. It gives you information about the different types of dragons, where they could live, what their eggs might look like, some of their abilities. and more!

This is certainly not a necessary read when reading through the series but provides an incredible experience as you'll now have a companion as to what the dragons you're reading about look like.

I personally read it just for the gorgeous art (:

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly what the title suggests, a book about dragons.
It gives you information about the different types of dragons, where they could live, what their eggs might look like, some of their abilities and even what their poop looks like!

I read this book now because in Goodreads, it was placed before the fourth book however, the contents have hints that it's written later in the series.
I'm a little disappointed that it kind of spoiled some things for me. Although, I'm sure when I do eventually read those books, I probably won't even remember what the spoilers were!

It is a well-illustrated book that gives you a lot of information about the different types of dragons in this world Cowell has created.
I'd recommend reading this after the main series because I believe the last couple of pages are a direct reference to the last book.
Overall, a very insightful and creative novel that it easy to read.

[Bitchin' Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I put MG for this book, but I think it is a little before MG. Very easy to read. Cute. Nice companion novel to the movie.

[Carolineandherbook · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s very beautiful and well made book but it gives you nothing.🤷‍♀️

[Rohufflepuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful for looking up dragons and finding out facts about them

[Jaime]

This book was so much fun! Between the artwork, the creativity behind the dragons, and all the doodles and ramblings from Hiccup, this is a great addition to the How to Train Your Dragon series. I freaking loved it.

I mean, it has an entire page about dragon poo. And it goes into detail about all the different types of dragons. There are charts and stats and tips and tricks. And it was just fun to read and the artwork is amazing. I didn't cry or anything. Nope.

So beautiful.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It was a good compilation of information, mostly what you read in the books. There were occasionally new dragon facts to read about, but most of it was already familiar. Some of the new facts felt like they didn't fit the story. The illustrations were fun and I still liked reading it.
I wish there were a 'Camicazi's Guide to Burglary.' That would be incredible."

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Is Quite A Good Book About the World Of Berk And The Dragons.

[Melanie Schubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the kind of book you can just read on and on. It must be read in shorter intervals, otherwise it reads too much like a textbook and although it has been purposefully and cleverly modelled after this, even delightful dragon facts can feel like information overload when there are too many one after the other.

For me, I found it to be a most excellent toilet read (no, I don't have any shame, and yes, I am admitting to reading on the toilet--in fact, I find the toilet the perfect place to read a particular style of junior reads that I would struggle to read else wise. Plus, it's stopped me from spending all that time staring at my phone in there instead).

So now you have learned quite a bit about the style of this book, and quite a bit more than you wished to know about me. But hey-ho, there you go! Life's too short for dullness and fakery.

[Ravyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this companion book to the HTTYD series. The hardcover edition is absolutely gorgeous and each page is filled with beautiful illustrations in the unique style of the book series. It was a very quick read for me since most of the content is illustrations, so it is a great book for if you just want something quick and easy to pass away a few hours. If you enjoyed the How to Train your Dragon series, then this is a must-have companion volume for all ages to enjoy.

[Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun quick read full of "childish" drawings of all dragon kinds. It is very detailed on some of them and a little less detail for others, all include some handy rating on fear factor, and other attributes of the dragons.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

93 - 2021

[lydia ㋡]

I was fluent in dragon species by age 8 thanks to this book.

[Rubi · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, this book was kinda boring. It doesn't contain much information that we didn't already know from reading the actual series. There were some new dragons, but the info was kinda dry.
It's basically a book with a list of dragons and their stats according to Hiccup.
The map in the back was awesome, though. And Hiccup's final thoughts were intriguing. I made me all, "What?! What's gonna happen?" Made me thirst to find out and at the same time scared to haha
Just for that tidbit I'd still recommend fans to read it. :) It's Hiccup's explanation on why the Dragons may disappear, but we don't know how it'll end, cuz Hiccup doesn't want to live in a world without dragons. :/

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, yes, I'm giving these books a high rating cause I'm a huge fan of HTTYD, but I still really like them even thought they are more for kids (boys in general).

I was expecting this book to be corny but to my surprise it had full color pages and lots of information. I will say Cressisda Cowell does not draw people very well but she can draw dragons. A lot better than I can too. I'm just amazed at how many species of dragons she has created. Each one is so unique. Some are weird and some are a lot like the animals in our world.

Out of all the HTTYD books this is one I'd love to own, and reading it reminded me how I'm still waiting for the final book in the series. :(

[Chloejane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book for kids and those looking for some fresh reative inspiration.
Attended a talk presentation and book signing by ressida Cowell where I purchased this... both the woman and her storytelling are wonderful.

Fantastically written and illustrated; an absolute feast for the eyes and mind!

The whole How To Train Your Dragon series along with this book will be something I would hope to gift to my kids and nieces/nephews one day!

[Book Frawg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this as a birthday present for my brother and couldn't help reading through it myself first. (Isn't that the wonderful thing about books for gifts?) It's so adorably done, and the hardcover edition is so lovely and wonderful to hold. I have a deep love for books like this "written by" their characters. All the little notes and scribbly handwriting are fantastic. Some of the scariest dragons towards the back of the book even made me feel a little unsettled!

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Really cool illustrations and material, but Eleanor and I both prefer the movies and television shows to the books. First time for everything, right? It's possible it would be the opposite if we had read the books first, but seriously, the movies alone are so good. And the final installment, don't even get me started. I cried. CRIED! I'm 36 and I cried at the final movie in the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea behind it that a young boy was writing this. There are so many dragons in here it is hard to get a grip on. I imagine that they all are incorporated within the other books as well. I especially enjoyed the pages about the dragon poop. It just seems so logical that the Monstrous Nightmare poo is always on fire.

[Michie Jaay · Rating 4 out of 5]

i didn’t notice this was a part of the HTTYD series/universe until after i started reading it and was like “wait! i recognize those!!” which makes me feel like a fake fan, but to be fair, i had no clue these were books prior to the movies. but it was really fun to read this journal thing and match it up to what does happen in the movies, even though i notice now the lore is *not* the same LOL

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book it talks about different kinds of dragons like:

vampire spy dragon
monstress nightmare
electricity squirm
fire puffer, and so on...

This book was even written in the own hands of Hiccup Horrendes Haddock the third the last of the great Viking heroes!
I like this book.

[Marie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated and a great companion to the 'How to train your Dragon' series. Gives a great insight into the various different dragons and would work well as a reference while reading each book.

[Gillian]

This book is very informational about dragons and there language. If you need to learn more about dragons for a school project this is the place to go. Have a lovley time with this informational book

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read- August 2019 for The N.E.W.T.s (My A in Divination)
- I don't often read the extra little books that authors write for a series but I really enjoyed this one. I think it was brilliant and the only reason it's a 4 stars instead of a 5 stars is because it contains spoilers for future books.

[Jamie Coudeville · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was cute but not really necessary. Also, my e-reader threw a hissy fit when trying to open a file with this many photos.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't really a book in its own right but it's just so beautifully illustrated and I love it. This is evidently created by someone who cares a lot about the world she's created.

10/10

[lucieeegraybaird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dragons and I love “How to Train your Dragon” so this was so cool to read…
This was a really cool book because it had all different types of dragons and facts about them. It was so creative for Cressida Cowell to write something like this. It has actual handwritten stuff that is supposed to be like Hiccup wrote it and ink splotches that made it feel extra real. After reading it I felt like a complete dragon expert. I wanted to memorize everything from it and have someone quiz me 😊. I felt like I could go on a dragon quest to search for a dragon. It was truly awesome. I really felt like I was in a Viking or fantasy world with an adventure going on. It wasn’t much of a story, more like a journal that Hiccup wrote, which made it extra special.

Also I love books with maps in them, and this had exactly that!

To all dragon lovers out there, never forget the dragons….

All who read this are not Bookworms, but Bookdragons.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is beautifully put together.
It is very much a handbook rather than a novel. The book goes through various types of dragons and information on their language, nesting, and other topics. There isn't really a plot. It is more of a journal with the hauntings of a story.
But the thing I enjoyed most was the illustrations. There are pictures and drawings on pretty much every page. I loved the dragon illustrations. They were really cool.
This is definitely nothing like the movie aside from the characters' names and Hiccup's love for dragons. But it is still a fun book for young dragon-Lovers.

[Evelyn H · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I got this book, I was very excited because I watch the movies and the TV show and I was excited to learn more about the dragons in the shows.

Unfortunately, when I had finished the book, I realized that it only had one dragon from the show, and that was the Gronckle. Even with the Gronckle, it had very little information on it.

All of the dragons in the book were dragons that weren’t even in the TV show I was watching, Race To The Edge. I was very disappointed about it.

Of course, I probably would have rated it one star but throughout the book there was things about dragon eggs and stuff like that, which was pretty interesting.