John R. Erickson

Hank's intentions were good when The Quest for the Great White Quail opens. His lecture to Drover was correct. Unfortunately, Hank allows his fear of the wrath of Sally May Loper to prevent him from carrying out his original plan. Worse, he succumbs to very temptation that caught Drover. I feel sorry for Little Alfred (pronounced 'Alferd') Loper, but if he follows his mother's advice in the future, it shouldn't happen again.

At one point Hank is certain that he's been bitten by a rattlesnake. show more See The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting for when that really happened. If you're familiar with this series, you'll probably guess what attacked Hank and will be gleefully anticipating when the truth will dawn on our favorite cowdog. I loved the scene where Hank is terrified that Sally May will find out what he did.

The action changes when Beulah the gorgeous collie from a neighboring ranch comes by. Drover and Hank both act like love-struck characters in classic cartoons. Beulah has come to ask Hank for help because her beloved Plato wandered off four days ago. She's so worried that she promises to give Hank a second chance at winning her affections if he'll bring Plato safely home.

Hank's love for beauteous Beulah starts to falter the closer he gets to coyote territory. This isn't like the very beginning of the book when Hank is trash-talking to anonymous coyotes who are howling from a distance (have fun with Hank's translation of the conversation). Then a fog rolls in.

Of course he finds Plato and of course they're in danger. Loved the way Rip and Snort, the coyote brothers, were defeated. (If you're wondering when Hank was asked to find Plato before, see The Case of the Missing Bird Dog.) Hank is really looking forward to his second chance with Beulah.
Will his dreams come true or will he screw it up?

As usual, I had fun with the sound effects, especially the police car siren when Hank was rushing to help Little Alfred. At one point Hank consults 'Data Control' in his brain while he's lost. The mechanically-voiced reply made me laugh aloud.

As for the two original songs, 'Chewing Plastic' hasn't many words, but it is cheerful. 'The Sunbeam Song' is just as wholesome as Hank described it.

I recommend this entry (and the two earlier books I mentioned). show less

"You can't be safe and cautious all the time. If you're too timid in this life you'll miss out on all the fun and adventure. You'll just stay home and snap at flies."
--a little philosophy from Hank the Cowdog.

What? None of the readers I follow have read Hank the Cowdog? How is that possible? Boy howdy, let me say that y'all are missing out on good laughs and high (plains) adventures.

Hank is Head of Ranch Security on a ranch up in the Texas panhandle, near where the canyons are. One morning, show more at first light he learns is that there has been a murder on the ranch. Someone has killed one of the big leghorn hens. Never fear, Hank is on the case. And dad-gummit, he's gonna get to the bottom of it.

Eventually.

Right after he has a refreshing morning roll in the overflow sewer.

Hank is one of a kind. Just like all good old boy cowboys, God love 'em. show less

Having enjoyed several Hank the Cowdog stories over the years, I was pleased when my 4-year-old sister pulled The Garbage Monster from Outer Space off the bookshelf one afternoon, and asked that we have it as our next bedtime story. When I agreed, she immediately sat down and paged through the whole book, studying the pictures and getting a kick out of the story she deduced from them. After that, she couldn’t wait for us to read the book—she’d figured out the punchline from the show more pictures, and wanted to see how that worked out in the story—and although it took over a month for us to get through the book, I think it ended up being one of her more favorite bedtime stories recently.

This book follows the same sort of theme as all the other Hank the Cowdog books—Hank acts the part of a dunce; he gets into a pile of trouble, runs up against some terrible enemies (personally, I think the coyote brothers are hilarious!), and generally isn’t nearly as smart as he thinks he is.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fast, easy, fun read. I particularly like the way Erickson plays with the English language—just enough to add a little more humor to the story. If you’re looking for a good series to read aloud, I’d recommend this series, although I’m not sure how appropriate they are as bedtime stories for more sensitive children. For my sister, it was perfect—and she was quite disappointed on the nights when we didn’t have enough time to read another chapter! show less

There's a banjo making background music for the audio edition of The Case of the Measled Cowboy. Sally May Loper doesn't want to miss her parents' 40th anniversary, but she thinks five-year-old Alfred (pronounced 'Alferd') is coming down with the measles. High Loper has already been stuffing suitcases and baby things in Sally May's car. He doesn't want that to be for nothing. Sally May doesn't want to expose her family to Alfred, but expresses no worry about baby Molly, so I hope that means show more that Molly has had her MMR vaccination. (Back when I was in high school I volunteered at a home for developmentally disabled girls. One of those girls was my age, but had the mind of a three-year-old because that was when her measles attacked her brain. I've had a very healthy respect for the potential dangers of measles ever since.)

Slim Chance assures Sally May that he'll take good care of her son. What a pity for the Lopers that they were already out of earshot when Slim comments that he never had the measles. Worse, Slim is under the false assumption that measles is a disease only children can get. EEK!

At first things seem to be going well. Hank boasts to Drover about what he did to Pete the Barncat now that Sally May isn't around to keep the dogs out of her yard. Those dogs weren't supposed to be allowed into the house, either, but Alfred doesn't care. Slim has already caught Alfred's measles and he's sicker than -- if you'll pardon the expression -- a dog.

With the best of intentions, the little boy tries to help out. He's so intent on fixing cowboy hash for Slim's lunch that he doesn't notice what a mess he's making. Hank is doing his loyal cowdog best to lick up the evidence, but it's too much for him. Well, at least Slim pronounces it the best cowboy hash he's ever eaten.

There's a blizzard outside when Slim's lady, the dog-loving Miss Viola, calls. Slim denies that he has anything worse than a bad cold, but Miss Viola intends to come over anyway. He keeps falling asleep, so it's up to Alfred and Hank to bring in wood for the stove when the power goes out. We don't have a wood-burning stove, but we do have a fireplace. What I thought might happen happened. At least Slim didn't blame the kid.

Alfred is so worried when Miss Viola doesn't show up that he attempts to drive his Daddy's pickup truck to the rescue. Yes, feel free to cringe.

The two big questions here are: 1. Will Miss Viola be rescued and 2. Will Hank, Alfred, and Slim survive Sally May's homecoming?

Never mind what the back cover says, I didn't hear any voice but Hank singing 'We'll Never Pull This Stunt Again'. I certainly hope not. Was this book funny? You bet! show less