Review by Frank Plowright

Lucie Ebrey explains why her world combines cowboys and dinosaurs over the first couple of pages, but the idea entertains her much more than the explanation, so we rapidly move to Abigail and her tame dinosaur Rootbeer. Abigail is brave and capable, yet can’t persuade the Sheriff to make her a deputy in Little Spittle despite rectifying the actual deputy’s mistakes. It’s because the deputy is the Sheriff’s daughter Clementine. Spurned a final time, she and Rootbeer ride off into the night to find their own adventures.

That would be the plan, anyway. Not long afterward Clementine makes another mistake, and this time the entire town of Little Spittle disappears. It’s to do with an ancient object known as the calcified heart, desired by the area’s biggest bandit, but kept from her by Clementine. With no other options, Abigail and Clementine join forces, and because of rather than despite their differences, they discover they make good team, combining impulse and intellect.

Ebrey’s adventure abounds with cheery positivity while the threats aren’t threatening enough to do anything more than thrill an all-ages audience, to whom it introduces concepts such as the old American West and dinosaurs. It’s written to enable readers to understand the insecurities of both main characters, and builds a good mystery about the calcified heart as the adventure continues.

Older readers will recognise much of Calamity Jane in Abigail (Doris Day version rather than Deadwood version), who’s provided with an origin story both heartwarming and heartbreaking explaining why she refers to herself as the Sasparilla Kid.

While the stylised cartooning is energetic and maintains the fast paced plot, there are places where what’s happening isn’t clearly defined, which may puzzle younger readers. However, considering what’s on offer overall, that’s a minor point, and readers will be keen to skip on to find out where Abigail and Clementine head next. Before the end they’ll discover what the calcified heart does and what really matters to people, and after everything’s done there’s a great map for them to study. Very satisfying.