The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree

Hank the Cowdog #41

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

Hank and Drover are just beginning an investigation when a pirate suddenly appears on the front porch! They soon realize that the pirate is just Little Alfred in disguise. Alfred chooses Hank as his first mate, and Hank enthusiastically agrees to be hoisted up into the tree-house pirate ship...then remembers dogs don’t belong in trees! Can Hank survive his adventure on the high seas and return to shore in one piece?

Genres: Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Humor, Animals, Childrens, Juvenile

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2003

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

[Rebecca Gatzlaff · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:
1) This was a very funny book.
2) I liked that the main character was a dog and I like his perspective.
3) I liked the pictures in this book.

What I didn't like:
1) The accents are hard to understand.
2) I wish we got to know more of the human characters
3) I was expecting a mystery but got something else instead.

[bear.hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Merceda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't good to get Hank up in the oak tree. And then the cat ate the tuna sandwich in front of Hank, and Hank was grasping onto the branch, and barely hanging on. So Alfred went to get his dad and Slim to help get Hank down, and then Alfred had to go get mom and a blanket, and she wasn't happy because she was baking an angel food cake and had to turn off the oven. And then Slim climbed up the tree to try and push Hank out of the tree and onto the blanket they were holding out to catch him. But the branch split and Slim was hanging on for dear life, and Hank finally fell out of the tree, with the help from the 2 buzzards, and Hank was barking which of course caused lightning to hit the tree, and it cracked in half, and Slim's half of the tree fell over. And Slim wasn't very happy with Hank, and the case was closed.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another hilarious Hank story. This one has a fantastically absurd set-up, involving a spy named Murphy who is disguised as a turkey and is lurking around the ranch (maybe). Who is Murphy, and what is his deeper motive in all of this? The story then moves to a pirate ship in a tree, where a plate of tuna salad sandwiches will (possibly) lead to Hank's ultimate end. Erickson is a wonderful storyteller, and Hank is a fun character to read aloud to the kids for bedtime stories.

[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.

[Brynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is way funny! READ IT!!!

[Mr. Blaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem in the hank the cowdog book set . Hank gets into fixs that only dogs who are egnoramosse
Get into. Must read.

[Julie Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My seven year old loved this book! on the other hand I HATED reading it aloud because its just a jumble of silly nonsense.

[Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was Hank again with his pride.The weird part was when Hank didn't seem to trust those who were holding the blanket.

[Hillvan · Rating 3 out of 5]

650L

[Jerome Otte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous but dull. Hank is investigating a security breach on the ranch, as well as “piracy” on the ranch grounds.

[M Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd forgotten the details of the antics in the tree! Amusing :)