Cressida Cowell MBE FRSL (née Hare, born 15 April 1966)[1] is a British author.

[3] In addition to her other publications, Cowell works with illustrator Neal Layton[4] in the ongoing series of Emily Brown stories.

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: 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.

[9][10][11] Cressida Cowell presently resides in London[12] with her husband Simon, a former director and interim CEO of the International Save the Children Alliance; daughters Maisie and Clementine; and son Alexander.

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