Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest

Hank the Cowdog #11

by John R. Erickson, Gerald L Holmes (Illustrator)

Hank starts out to give Pete the Barncat a little scare, but to his surprise Pete turns out to be Sinister the Bobcat. Hank finds himself on a mission to save Little Alfred. Hank stumbles upon Madame Moonshine and gets trapped by Rip and Snort. Will Hank find a way out and will he rescue Little Alfred?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Humor, Comedy, Young Adult

146 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1988

About the author

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."

Hank the Cowdog made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults, and 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.

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.

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."

Reviews

[Cecily Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious

[the_bookish_took · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't go wrong with Hank the Cowdog!

[Corina Avila · Rating 5 out of 5]

We listened to this book on Audible. It’s FANTASTIC! Super fun for adults and kids with incredible actors as the voices. My husband and I were cracking up the whole time, and our kids (2 and 4) were obsessed with the story. Definitely a must-listen-to for long drives with a car full of different ages.

[SETH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny!

[Ashley Jacobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I read this quickly to see if the series was worth introducing to Kai. It’s fine. I don’t care if he reads it. It’s a fun enough story and I assume the rest of the series is similar. I would suggest reading at least the first one to be introduced to the characters. I jumped straight to this one because that’s what my library had. I was a bit confused about who was who, but it didn’t ruin the book and I figured it out eventually. The writing in this book is fine. Not fine literature, but not embarrassingly simple like some moderns kids books. I was thinking it would be like an older Jack Russell: Dog Detective series, and it kind of is, but there isn’t much mystery to it. The dog finds and rescues the kid who runs away. There isn’t anything to solve or any detective work to do. I found the story boring, but a child may enjoy it enough.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderfully funny Hank story. I’m always trying to decide which is my favorite forms of Hank humor. The fact that he frequently messes up or makes up new words is one of my favorites. I also find it hilarious how he is so often “misunderstood” by humans.
This story was cute how Alfred runs away from home because he thinks his mom likes his new sister better and then Hank gets to rescue him from the forest creatures. I’ve even found myself giving the answer “lost in the dark enchanted forest” when people ask where I am, but I think it’s obvious. I think the answer comes from a close form of the title of the book.
Again another super fun and cute read about Hank and his adventures. It’s one of my favorites.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a favorite of my children so I decided to share the experience with my 5yo grandson. I am not sure why I landed on this particular one because I agree that the reader needs to start with the first book for this series. Anyway, we will back track because he absolutely loved Hank, Pete, and the other characters. We listened to this one while traveling back and forth to visit a family member with an hour round trip. And when we travel for movies, zoo, etc. I wasn't sure if he was getting anything out of it but as soon as we got in the car, he would request that I start playing it. So, I guess we on the Hank the Cowdog circuit now! :)

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the Hank the Cowdog books I actually vaguely remembered from childhood. Madame Moonshine is a fun character, and Rip and Snort and Wallace and Junior are as entertaining as ever, plus we get a backwards version of the Coyote National Anthem. Also, Hank's relationship with Little Alfred is a very accurate depiction of a dog and his boy. 3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up because I was in the right mood for a quick nostalgia read today.

[Gina Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - The nostalgia factor let me down a tad this time lolol. I didn’t hate this by any means but the action was just so... lackluster. Hank’s sarcasm and narcissism are the clear standouts of these books and as a kid, just learning how to really use sarcasm, they were iconic to me. This was my seventh and final book for the reading rush 2019!!! (Thank god its over)

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1993/1994 someone donated a "box" set of Hank the Cowdog books to the group home I lived in. I remember well that the set included 22 books and I remember flying through them one by one. I'm not sure I was in the age range of the target audience, but I loved them nonetheless. It is a fond memory in a sea of uncertainty. I can honestly say that these books got me through a rough time.

[Kaytee · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to know if little alfred wanted to be the only child because he had a hard time accepting little baby molly and he even ran off in the dark enchanted forest which i would not do .

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun as an audio book for kids

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The new Hank the Cowdog podcast voiced by Matthew McConaughey was based on this book. Both are terrific!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew McConaughey voices Hank in the Hank the Cowdog podcast. They started with this book. It's a really great family audiobook. Very funny. I hope they do more books.

[Shelby Bethke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, the nostalgia

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book

[bear.hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

ReadAloud

[Reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not one to write reviews on Hank books, but I was in the mood, so here it is.

So first, Sally May comeshome with a new sister for Little Alfred, but he starts to think that Sally loves Molly more then him! He runs away, and Hank, after contemplating over whether to stay or go after him into the dark, scary, forest, Goes after him.

Heroes : This book doesn't really introduce any new heroes, but it has the old ones. (BTW, do you think Wallace is a bad guy? Comment your answer, please.) I still can't believe Hank is such a coward. I mean, a kid's life is on the line.MAN UP!!! Also, I love Madame Moonshine, so thankyouthankyouthankyou John, I really liked how you brought her back. And I don't get how it sys : "Alfred was at that magical age where he can talk to animals." I personally think that's kinda stoopid. The only other book that even hints that he can talk to Hank and thew others is The Case of the Black-Hooded Hangmans.

Villains : Rip and Snort are in this one, but surprisingly, they didn't have a singing contest with "Hunk". That seems to happen a lot. Though I like when they sing the Coyote Anthem. That's pretty funny. No new villains,except for Sinister the Bobcat. And he only has that one appearance, although the's mentioned in the Case Of the Tender Cheeping Chickies. But all in all, a pretty good plot. Also, I don't really like how the buzzards Wallace and Junior are in, like, every other book. They make a good addition to the story once in a while, but it feels like they just keep coming OVER AND OVER AND OVER!

This concludes my review of Hank the Cowdog, #11, Lost in the Dark, Unchanted Forest. Stay Tuned!

[Lea Beall · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a name, Madame Moonshine! That is so creative as a name for an owl and if the kids don't get it then the parents reading the story aloud can have a laugh!
I am a big Hank fan. I don't know how Mr. Erickson keeps supplying all these puns and cute (and not so cute[buzzards and snakes]) characters, but he just keeps cranking them out.
I never read a Hank, the Cowdog book without laughing right out loud.
Laughter is a good medicine. Thanks Mr. Erickson for supplying us with laughs and humor when we need the distraction to stay sane!

[Mattea · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many memories with this friend. I'm writing a review on it mostly because I'm feeling deeply nostalgic.
I remember being so afraid at one point in reading this book that I started shaking and so my grandpa offered to read ahead for me and check it out, see if it was scary or not. (I know, my grandpa was that awesome)

[Darryl Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read pretty much this entire series years ago after I descovered them in my elementary school libary. The plot, and characters are great. Plus these books are extremly funny. I loved this series then and I still love it.

[Kristen Holland Shear · Rating 4 out of 5]

My family is big fans of Hank the Cowdog - we picked up this edition/audio book on the way to the beach and a had a rollicking good time catching up with Hank and life on the ranch. Fun read or listen!

[Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like it when they meet Madem Moonshine again.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to hear the author speak at an event next week so I thought I'd better read a couple of his books beforehand. Very fun.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hank is always hilarious and fun to read. Great kid's book...recommend to anyone who likes a funny story told from Hank's sometimes flawed point of view!!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hank the Cowdog. So good!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madame Moonshine is probably my favorite character in all of Hank the Cowdog.

[A Hoppy Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
Oh no, little Alfred is missing. So Hank goes looking for his faithful pal.

[SSM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Alfred is funny and cute. I liked the song about things they all like.

[Cws]

JM4 Eri