I am an adult and STILL love this series! I have every book so far. This particular book "The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog" is one of the best in the series. Hank is an ranch dog who tries his hardest to protect "his ranch" from evil things that go bump in the night (and sometimes the day!). He usually screws up and gets yelled at, so THIS time he decides to....join the wild coyotes. He is accepted but first he must help in a secret plan to invade the ranch that he used to call home. Hank must make a choice....be free with the coyotes or protect the ones he was so loyal to? Very very good series, and it's funny too! All the books even have CD's so you can listen to them while driving in the car or whatever. And for music lovers, there's at least 3-5 songs per book. ( )

This book takes a dog's perspective of life on a ranch in a (I presume west) Texas town. Hank sees himself as the "Head of Ranch Security" and takes care of business as much as a dog can, including attempting to solve crimes on the ranch. This story uses humour to guide children through an animal's perspective of what might otherwise seem like a very mundane life. Sometimes the humour is a little juvenile and doesn't really read as hilarious as an adult as it did when I was a kid (dogs peeing on tires, for example), and occasionally it verges into a predictable stereotype. However, it takes the traditional western genre and makes it palatable for children in a way that most authors have not ever tried, and the bumbling efforts of the characters, mixed with their own brand of street smarts, serves as a nice satire of a much misunderstood subset of Texas culture. I also appreciated that Erickson preserves authentic dialectal lexicalisms but does not write the entire book in a style that presents a corny pronunciation on behalf of any of the characters. Contrary to the perception that southerners are backwards, this book will also introduce some new vocabulary to young readers; I can remember my third grade teacher explaining what gunny sacks and mutton were, among other things, and this is a nice book to share with children or students to guide them in the development of their reading. ( )

Hank the Cowdog, "Head of Ranch Security" at a spread in Texas, is most adept at getting himself into a pickle. Charming in his own way but with elevated self-esteem and low-level intelligence, Hank and his tales are hilarious: He gets tangled up with a porcupine and a skunk (among other tales), as well as almost going over to the coyotes. John R. Erickson's expressive, versatile, and energetic performance brings his own creation to life perfectly

We had the wonderful opportunity to meet Mr. Erickson in person and purchase this copy to be autographed. He was just as warm and funny in person as he is when reading the Hank books. These books are a real treasure...loved by children and adults alike! ( )