EMINENT author Cressida Cowell was helping inspire the next generation of creative minds at a Tullibody school this week.

Children and staff at St Serf's PS were buzzing with excitement as they welcomed the writer of the How to Train Your Dragon series on Monday, March 21.

The author, Waterstones children's laureate for 2019-22, spoke of her creative journey in front of a packed assembly hall, encouraging young people to not just read but also to write and illustrate stories themselves.

Firmly holding the attention of not just the pupils but the adults as well, the London-born author described how she began developing her creative skills during summers spent on an uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland.

Armed with nothing but a young mind full of inspiration, Cowell told how she slept through stormy nights imagining a dragon was just waking up outside.

She gave tips on what makes a good story and explained how no one at the time thought she would one day become a prominent author with her works being sold by the millions around the world.

Visiting as part of the Scottish Book Trust's Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour, she brought her story to life in the classroom and signed books with children being gifted free copies of her works.

St Serf's headteacher Nicola Ferguson, an avid Cowell fan herself, explained how the visit was the first time an author was able to come to the school since the pandemic began.

She could not believe the school's luck in securing such a high-profile writer and told the Advertiser: "She's an inspiration to children – as soon as we told them [about the visit] last week they were so buzzing because they knew all about the characters, they knew who had written all the books.

"To actually have her in person has been fantastic and we are gifting a book to each child as a token of our gratitude to Cressida but also to inspire our children to read."

The headteacher admitted she is a fan herself, having read the How to Train Your Dragon series with her daughter.

She added: "I am just a great believer in the power of imagination – that's what she [Cressida] said, believe in the impossible.

"Absolutely, I think if children can tap into that than the world's their oyster."