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John R. Erickson

Goodreads Author

Born

in Perryton, Texas, The United States

Website

http://www.hankthecowdog.com/

Twitter

HanktheCowdog1

Genre

Children's, Humor and Comedy

Member Since

November 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/JohnRErickson

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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 ...more

128 posts
John R. Erickson's Blog

An Excerpt from "The Case of the Halloween Ghost"

Howdy, Hank-Readers!

Have you ever wondered what a "cake house" is?? So have lots of other Hank fans over the years! The cake house on the ranch features prominently in Hank's latest adventure, book 75 "The Case of the Red Rubber Ball"... AND, it also reminds us of one of the best scenes from Book 9, The Case of the Halloween Ghost!

From Chapter 10:

". . .Where do you go when you’ve got gho

Combine Editions
John R. Erickson’s books

Average rating: 4.12 · 27,997 ratings · 1,539 reviews · 150 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (Hank the Cowdog, #1) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrator) 4.07 avg rating — 5,006 ratings — published 1980 — 40 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (Hank the Cowdog, #2) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrator) 4.12 avg rating — 1,509 ratings — published 1983 — 29 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	It's a Dog's Life (Hank the Cowdog, #3) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Tom Hair (Designed by) 4.09 avg rating — 1,157 ratings — published 1984 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murder in the Middle Pasture (Hank the Cowdog, #4) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrations) 4.08 avg rating — 1,042 ratings — published 1985 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Hank the Cowdog, #6) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrator) 4.11 avg rating — 878 ratings — published 1988 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Faded Love (Hank the Cowdog, #5) 4.10 avg rating — 888 ratings — published 1985 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob (Hank the Cowdog, #7) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrator) 4.11 avg rating — 688 ratings — published 1986 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Every Dog Has His Day (Hank the Cowdog, #10) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrator) 4.07 avg rating — 622 ratings — published 1987 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business (Hank the Cowdog, #14) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrator) 4.10 avg rating — 596 ratings — published 1990 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Case of the Vampire Cat (Hank the Cowdog, #21) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrations) 4.17 avg rating — 529 ratings — published 1993 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by John R. Erickson

Hank the Cowdog (75 books)
by

John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author),

Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrator)

4.12 avg rating — 27,004 ratings

Hank the Cowdog: Audio Only (7 books)
by

John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)

4.23 avg rating — 381 ratings

Riley McDaniels (3 books)
by

John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)

4.32 avg rating — 73 ratings

Hank the Cowdog: Greatest Hits (3 books)
by

John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)

4.74 avg rating — 34 ratings

Hank's Ranch Life (3 books)
by

John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)

4.25 avg rating — 24 ratings

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John R. Erickson wrote a new blog post An Excerpt from "The Case of the Halloween Ghost" Howdy, Hank-Readers! Have you ever wondered what a "cake house" is?? So have lots of other Hank fans over the years! The cake house on the ranch f Read more of this blog post »
Oct 24, 2020 01:50AM · like
John Erickson rated a book it was amazing The Case of the Vampire Cat (Hank the Cowdog, #21) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 22, 2014 11:34AM · like
John Erickson rated a book it was amazing Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business (Hank the Cowdog, #14) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 22, 2014 11:34AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business by John R. Erickson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business by John R. Erickson <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Erickson rated a book it was amazing The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob (Hank the Cowdog, #7) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 22, 2014 11:34AM · 2 likes · like
John Erickson rated a book it was amazing Every Dog Has His Day (Hank the Cowdog, #10) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 22, 2014 11:34AM · 1 like · like
John Erickson rated a book it was amazing Faded Love (Hank the Cowdog, #5) by John R. Erickson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 22, 2014 11:34AM · 3 likes · like
John Erickson liked Morgan Stout's review of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (Hank the Cowdog, #1): "Hank the Cowdog books are a tradition in my family. My grandma was a 2nd grade teacher ( she's retired now), and I believe she is the one that got my brother and I started on the series. They are all great books! Some of my favorites from my childhoo" Read more of this review »
Sep 22, 2014 10:21AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Erickson liked S.J. Dahlstrom's blog post: Where The Red Fern Grows "Where The Red Fern Grows - This book is about a boy named Billy Coleman who lives with his dad, mom, and two little sisters in the Ozark Mountains. He wants a pair of coonhounds so he can go hunting. His family is poor and cannot afford […]The p..." Read more of this blog post »
Mar 19, 2014 08:24AM
John Erickson liked S.J. Dahlstrom's blog post: Canada Geese "Canada Geese - I see these geese every winter, honking as they fly over my head. Flocks of geese always travel in V formations. The V is so that each bird can get a rest when not in the lead. The front bird has to work the […]The post Canada Ge..." Read more of this blog post »
Feb 17, 2014 07:39AM
John Erickson wants to read Texas Grit (The Adventures of Wilder Good #2) by S.J. Dahlstrom (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 30, 2013 08:25AM · 3 likes · like

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Quotes by John R. Erickson

“Don’t take anything for granite. That’s what tombstones are made of.”
― John R. Erickson, Hank the Cowdog

22 likes

“Coyotes can’t expect to keep friends when they eat them all the time.”
― John R. Erickson, Hank the Cowdog

12 likes

“Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before.”
― John R. Erickson

9 likes

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John’s Quotes

“My parents placed a high value on reading, starting with the King James Bible, and one whole wall of our living room was filled, floor to ceiling, with books. But I was an outside kid and didn’t have the patience to be a reader. That changed, briefly, when I discovered Tom Sawyer in the fourth grade. That was the one book I truly loved. I read it several times, then read Huckleberry Finn. I was fascinated by the way Twain played with language and used regional dialects. But what amazed me most was that Twain allowed the reader to laugh. Reading didn’t have to be drudgery. Twain didn’t allow it.”
― John R. Erickson

3 likes

“He had a good heart, he wanted to help with the cattle work, he thought he was Head of Ranch Security, but he wasn’t very smart and never understood why the cowboys were mad at him all the time.” (regarding the original Hank the Cowdog)”
― John R. Erickson

5 likes

“Hank is a dog, not a human dressed up in a dog suit. Humans share some of his flaws, but I get my ideas from watching dogs.”
― John R. Erickson

4 likes

“Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before.”
― John R. Erickson

9 likes

“Buzzards don’t make good friends. They always have an interior motive.”
― John R. Erickson, Hank the Cowdog

9 likes

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