Publication Date: August 1, 1998 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up
Heading into the wild outback, Hank goes in search of his true love, the charming Miss Beulah. Hank is sure he can win Beulah's heart--but first he'll need the help of a powerful aphrodisiac.
USA Today calls the hilarious Hank the Cowdog series "...the best family entertainment in years."
Hank is a scruffy, smart-alecky supersleuth with a nose for danger and an eye for the ladies. And as Head of Ranch Security on a West Texas ranch, he's usually up to his ears in all kinds of amusing trouble. Whether he's called upon to bark up the sun, investigate suspicious goings-on, or defend the ranch against marauders, Hank's hilarious, hair-raising adventures will delight readers young and old alike.
John R. Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, is gifted with a storyteller's knack for spinning a yarn. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse of daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. This series of books and tapes is in school libraries across the country, has sold more than 7.6 million copies, is a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and is the winner of the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association. Publishers Weekly calls Hank a "grassroots publishing phenomena," and USA Today says this is "the best family entertainment in years."
The road to stardom for Hank, however, wasn't all dog biscuits and gravy. Erickson graduated from the University of Texas in 1966 and studied for two years at Harvard Divinity School. He began to publish short stories in 1967 while working full-time as a cowboy, farmhand, and ranch manager in Texas and Oklahoma. Hank and his sidekick Drover are dogs Erickson worked with on the range. This mixture of true-life experience, fun, and adventure has gained Hank a loyal following of thousands of children and adults.
In 1982, however, Erickson was at his rope's end. "I was working out in the cold; there was 8 inches of snow on the ground," he says, "I had just gotten a couple of rejection slips from New York publishers, and I had a wife with two kids and another one on the way." So, with $2,000 in borrowed money, Erickson started his own publishing company, appropriately named Maverick Books.
Hank the Cowdog made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults. An obvious favorite of readers, Erickson included two of Hank's humorous stories in Maverick Book's first publishing effort, The Devil in Texas (1982). Erickson began selling books from his pickup truck at cattle auctions, rodeos, and just about any place cowboys gathered.
When Erickson started getting "Dear Hank" letters, he knew he was onto something. So in 1983, he self-published 2,000 copies of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, and they sold out in 6 weeks. Not long after that first printing, the book was recorded word-for-word on audiotape. Since then, every Hank book has been recorded, making Hank the longest-running successful children's series on audio, ever. (Source: Billboard)
When teachers began inviting Erickson to their schools, Hank found his most eager fans. Teachers, librarians, and students alike love Hank. According to some Texas Library Association surveys, the Hank the Cowdog books are the most popular selections in many libraries' children's sections. The lively characters make excellent material for reading and writing lessons, and turn even the most reluctant readers into avid Hank-fans. When used with the books, Hank tapes increase reading skills rapidly. And, in response to popular demand from the growing bilingual market, the first two Hank the Cowdog adventures are available in Spanish.
Although the Hank books began as a regional phenomenon, CBS Television heard about them and brought out a thirty-minute cartoon of the first book. It aired in May 1985 as part of a series called "CBS Storybreak."
Erickson has also written several books for young adults, the "Riley McDaniels Series". The first book of the series, "Moonshiner's Gold", won the 2003-2004 Lamplighter Award. The second book in the series, "Discovery at Flint Springs," was a finalist for the Lamplighter Award the following year. He has also written several books about cowboying based on his own experiences.
Erickson was born in Midland, Texas, but by the age of 3, he had moved with his family to Perryton, Texas, where he and his wife live today on their working cattle ranch. They have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. His advice to young writers is, "Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before."
For more information about John R. Erickson and the Hank the Cowdog books, please visit www.hankthecowdog.com.
5.0 out of 5 starsPoor Little Hank and Drover, April 28, 2004
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Faded Love (Hank the Cowdog #5) (Paperback)
I love the Hank the Cowdog series books, especially Faded Love, because it's hilarious and cute. My classmates read each character like a play. Each person in our class used how they acted and how they sounded when they read their character. It was very funny and I loved it a lot.
Pete the Barncat is Hank's hated cat. Pete went to the ranch to talk to him that he could be the ranch security. Pete is always thinking that he is always better and that Hank is the worst Cowdog all the time. Hank can't wait to fight him, because Pete always drives Hank crazy. Hank WAS going to fight with him, but he just leaves him alone because he thinks fighting with a barncat is stupid. So Hank quit the ranch security job. On that day, he and Drover go see his sweetheart, Beulah. Drover is his best partner. Drover loves Beulah, too! But they don't know that Beulah is just cheating on Hank, and she goes out with Plato, the spotted bird dog. But when he is on his way to see Beulah, he sees this female Beagle, Miss Scamper, another sweetheart that he loves. Miss Scamper was inviting Hank and Drover to look at the sunset. Drover wants to ask Hank if he can go to see the sunset with his sweetheart, but Hank said no, because Hank doesn't want to get bothered by that noisy Drover. But Hank got kicked out by the owner in the back of the truck. Then they went to see his first sweetheart, Miss Beautiful Beulah. When they went over to her place, they see that she was smooching with her HONEY! Plato! Hank and Drover got so jealous, so they just went to see Miss Sweetheart Sexy Scamper. Then they come back to their own job. But Hank still hates Pete because PETE still thinks that he is super smart and Hank just super stupid.
I love this book, because it's funnier than the other Hank the Cowdog books, and it's more interesting than the other Hank the Cowdog books. Thank you for understanding my opinion.
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I love all the Hank books, and this is a great one for the Christmas season. These books are hilarious and more important to the young reader, fun to read. I'd also check the rest of the series.
Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"
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