Piccadilly Press, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, is thrilled to announce the acquisition of Cowgirls and Dinosaurs: Big Trouble in Little Spittle and its sequel: a Wild West-set graphic novel series featuring crime-fighting, gutsy girls and dinosaurs for readers aged 9+ from UK-based author illustrator Lucie Ebrey.
Jenny Jacoby, editor at Piccadilly Press, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to two books from Sarah Perillo at Curtis Brown US, on behalf of Steven Salpeter at Assemble Literary.
The series centres on female friendship and is set in an incredible world where dinosaurs and mankind evolved side-by-side. The first book follows Abigail, who dreams of joining the League of Sheriffs as a deputy of the quiet town of Little Spittle. There’s just one problem: Little Spittle already has a deputy in the form of the Sheriff’s highly capable daughter, Clementine. To prove herself better than Clementine, Abigail becomes The Sarsaparilla Kid, a cloaked vigilante cowgirl who hunts bandits outside of the law. But when the Bandit Queen takes the town of Little Spittle hostage, Abigail and Clementine must put aside their differences to work together to save their town and defeat the Bandit Queen once and for all.
Lucie Ebrey said: “I’m so excited to be published on my home turf as a British cartoonist. It means a lot to be able to bring my characters and the world I’ve created to the UK and I’m so grateful to Bonnier Books for their part in it all.”
Jenny Jacoby, editor at Piccadilly Press, said: “Graphic novels are such an exciting part of the children’s book market, and I’m thrilled that children will be able to lose themselves in Lucie’s wonderfully imaginative world of Cowgirls and Dinosaurs. Our heroes Abigail and Clementine show us there are many ways to be a girl and that friendship is powerful.”
Award-winning animation director, artist and Dead End (Netflix) showrunner Hamish Steele has long been attached to help develop a potential feature adaptation of the series.
Lucie Ebrey is a queer cartoonist and illustrator from Birmingham, UK, now based in Bristol. She’s been drawing comics since she was seven years old and has had numerous published stories over the years. Lucie can be found on https://www.lucieebrey.com/ and @LucieEbrey. She is available for event opportunities and prompts for unique artwork.
Cowgirls and Dinosaurs: Big Trouble in Little Spittle will publish on 6th June 2024, followed by the second instalment in 2025.
