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Hank the Cowdog #1-3
Hank Pack #1: The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, and It's a Dog's Life
Paperback
First published June 1, 1991
3 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
John R. Erickson
231 books342 followersJohn 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."
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."
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 28, 2022
"Me just a worthless cayote..."
Honestly, could anybody not love that unapologetically doggish hero, Hank the Cowdog? How could we not relish all the other animals we met through his adventures, laughing all the way?
I encountered Hank's world through audiobooks, books I listened to with my son, and sometimes also with my husband. All of us loved those books so!
To this day, I still have a warm spot in my heart for Hank, and especially his winsome way of rolling around in a sewer for refreshment.
The plots were perfect, the characters right-sized, and every adventure was splendid.
Incidental Note about My Wacky Version of Shelving
Fellow Goodreaders, I put some thought and care into how I name my shelves here. (As a writer, I'm a namer: ridiculously serious, really, about naming.)
CHILDREN'S BOOK, or some such category doesn't seem accurate enough. Too tight. Too broad. Very likely, Goldilocks wouldn't approve; for sure, such a shelving choice doesn't sit well with me.
Instead I've chosen a very particular trio for this book review, and others of this genre:
*FANTASY, because children move in and out of what adults (especially professional hypnotists) call "hypnosis." Any young-at-heart former child, and many of us parents, know that children experience life in a way that is subtly different from how we settle in, once having adjusted reasonably well to being human.
(If you're curious to learn more about my model for this process of settling in, read some of the earlier chapters of "The New Strong." Enough said here.)
*FICTION, due to technically being a made-up story, rather than ugh! something on TikTok: When fiction has been properly published as a book you can read and maybe chew on, just a bit? Of course, fiction counts as a legitimate category. But there's more....
*NONFICTION, because when a reasonably sane adult publishes a book that can be read to children, or read by children, or read by any human being really... That book is telling readers about what it means to live in this world, who can live here, how cause-and-effect work, and more.
Put all three of these jobs together, FANTASY, FICTION, and NONFICTION, yes! Put all that together, Goodreaders, and what then? You've found my Goodreads shelf of child-sized wonder.
Paradoxically, this shelf is larger than any adult consciousness bookshelf, just as a child's aura tends to be bigger-and-bolder than that of a mere adult. As children, our chosen books are like a Tardis, powering each of us to explore as we wish, explore as if we're all Time Lords.
Honestly, could anybody not love that unapologetically doggish hero, Hank the Cowdog? How could we not relish all the other animals we met through his adventures, laughing all the way?
I encountered Hank's world through audiobooks, books I listened to with my son, and sometimes also with my husband. All of us loved those books so!
To this day, I still have a warm spot in my heart for Hank, and especially his winsome way of rolling around in a sewer for refreshment.
The plots were perfect, the characters right-sized, and every adventure was splendid.
Incidental Note about My Wacky Version of Shelving
Fellow Goodreaders, I put some thought and care into how I name my shelves here. (As a writer, I'm a namer: ridiculously serious, really, about naming.)
CHILDREN'S BOOK, or some such category doesn't seem accurate enough. Too tight. Too broad. Very likely, Goldilocks wouldn't approve; for sure, such a shelving choice doesn't sit well with me.
Instead I've chosen a very particular trio for this book review, and others of this genre:
*FANTASY, because children move in and out of what adults (especially professional hypnotists) call "hypnosis." Any young-at-heart former child, and many of us parents, know that children experience life in a way that is subtly different from how we settle in, once having adjusted reasonably well to being human.
(If you're curious to learn more about my model for this process of settling in, read some of the earlier chapters of "The New Strong." Enough said here.)
*FICTION, due to technically being a made-up story, rather than ugh! something on TikTok: When fiction has been properly published as a book you can read and maybe chew on, just a bit? Of course, fiction counts as a legitimate category. But there's more....
*NONFICTION, because when a reasonably sane adult publishes a book that can be read to children, or read by children, or read by any human being really... That book is telling readers about what it means to live in this world, who can live here, how cause-and-effect work, and more.
Put all three of these jobs together, FANTASY, FICTION, and NONFICTION, yes! Put all that together, Goodreaders, and what then? You've found my Goodreads shelf of child-sized wonder.
Paradoxically, this shelf is larger than any adult consciousness bookshelf, just as a child's aura tends to be bigger-and-bolder than that of a mere adult. As children, our chosen books are like a Tardis, powering each of us to explore as we wish, explore as if we're all Time Lords.
July 29, 2025
This was reliving some childhood for me! I remember listening to a tape and reading along with the book on the dining room floor! It has been fun listening to this in the car with my kiddo. Hank the Cowdog is old school to say the least. There are some parts in it that current listeners/readers may get offended by, but it's an older book written in a different time. It was fun to hear the dog's perspective of these events and how Hank is a real cowboy trying to keep his part of the wild west under control.
March 27, 2021
Read with Brooklynn. We rated it a 3, it was cute but too young for Brooklynn.
July 30, 2024
Quality book series for younger readers
August 6, 2008
This series is hilarious! Written for kids ages 8-10, but just as entertaining for the adults in the family. This author has the funniest way of telling a story that meanders and jerks and gets back on course just the way a dog's mind works. The characters remind me of those in Charlotte's Web where adults appear as legs with an occasional line or two. Hank is the main character who calls himself "Ranch Security" for the ranch in the Texas panhandle. Other characters include a dumb dog on the ranch, a cat, a couple of buzzards, two coyotes, and various female dogs that Hank admires. I highly recommend you get this book on tape so that everyone can listen, the author reads the books and you get the Texas accent, sound effects and some variation in voices.
September 19, 2008
This series always brings out the giggles in me. If you REALLY want to laugh, get the audio books! The narrator on those is excellent!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews