The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob

Hank the Cowdog #7

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

While trying to outwit his arch enemy Pete the Barncat, Hank the Cowdog is duped into believing a worthless corncob will bring him fame and fortune.

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

136 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 1986

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

[Anna (Bananas) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. Really, you're missing out. Don't look at me like that. Okay, maybe I have reasons for loving it so much. It's still good.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read aloud. Evelyn thought Hank was super funny. It was a little above Emma, but she says she still liked it.

[Daniel Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob, Hank becomes unexpectedly wealthy one night when Sally May is tossing out scraps for the pets to eat. But he soon learns that there are two sides to this corn, er, coin.

Reminded me of many cautionary tales about treasure. The "guess you got more than you bargained for" paranoia in The Treasure of Sierra Madre (or the Simpson's episode "Three Men and a Comic Book"). The "Where should I hide it?" scene in The Unsinkable Molly Brown. The primitive Yahoos and sage Houyhnhnms in Gulliver's Travels; haven't finished that book yet, just seen the miniseries with Ted Danson. One of my favorite letters from Benjamin Franklin is about a story from his childhood in which some good fortune started to burn a hole in his pocket so he spent it immediately on a whistle. But when he learns he could have bought a better whistle for cheaper, what once was his most prized possession becomes a symbol of shame, perhaps like a scarlet letter or an albatross around his neck. There's a hint of this morality in Hank's adventure as well.

In Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities, a Wall Street broker gets into a lot of trouble, and his wife, who is especially angry with him, humiliates him further by dismissively describing his job to their child as collecting crumbs off a cake being passed around. There's this kind of humbling and/or humiliating feel here, too. All the trouble and fighting among the animals in here is over a corncob, which was thrown out of the house. The reason Hank thinks the corncob is valuable is because he thinks Pete the Barncat wants it, but Pete is just messing with Hank, as is Pete's way. And it's not even the corn that's valuable, but what it means, as Hank describes: "It's fame, it's fortune, it's freedom, it's power and influence and handsome good looks."

An interesting twist is that Hank eventually does use this corncob to save his buddy Drover from dinner with the coyotes. (Drover was on the menu.) It got me wondering, philosophically, about value. I could picture a dog greedily hoarding a corncob or toy the way Hank does here. But we humans esteem some pretty strange things too: gold and other shiny objects, online reputation (likes, shares, views -- things which I've sometimes heard called "meaningless Internet points"), even junk (if it's old enough) may not be an antique but still worth more than it was. I should probably also finish Wealth of Nations sometime, if there isn't a better text out there on this...

Hank, as I've mentioned, meets up with the coyotes again. I read some reviews of the previous books that didn't like how the rough-around-the-edges coyotes were depicted, like if "Hank and coyotes" were analogous to the stereotypical "cowboys and Indians." I agreed with that more in this book. Although there's a balance to this book that I liked a lot. Hank, the ranch hand, who pretty muchly every day stands for Truth, Justice, and The American Way -- he's just as susceptible to greed as the rough-and-tumble coyotes... at least, when there's an Incredible Priceless Corncob on the line. (All kidding aside, I imagine we all would be, depending on the corncob.) And it's actually Hank's former flame Missy Coyote (a.k.a. Girl-Who-Drink-Blood), who talks Hank out of selling out his buddy Drover for the corncob. So I felt the story was pretty well-rounded.

I think we got this copy along with the #1 I read, from folks at Mom's parents' house. I don't know if these were meant for me -- I don't remember if my siblings were there, for example -- but to people who know me this one might make sense, it being #7 and its events taking place on the 7th of September (from septem, Latin for seven). The author may have my brand of superstition. Or an appreciation for casinos with slot machines that read 777.

I noted a theme in the other two books. #1 talked about how law-and-order Hank was different from the carefree coyotes. #3 talked about how country Hank was different from his townie sister. #7 has a moment where Hank feels different from (read: better than) Drover because of the corncob. I don't think I picked up on that as a kid -- probably was just waiting for the next funny thing Hank would do or say -- but I think I was just going off the book for this one and not the tapes.

Compared to #3, Hank and Drover still felt a little goofy around each other, but their banter is very witty at parts. Consider the gems:

"But won't I be penniless then?"
"In a sense, yes. But what would you do with a penny if you had one?"
"I don't know. I just didn't want to be penniless."

and

"So long, Drover. I hope you can live with yourself after this."
"Me too. I wouldn't know where to go if I couldn't."

Even Hank's writing idiosyncracies (misspellings, malapropisms, and spoonerisms, to name a few) felt even more charming in this one. There's an epiglottis at the end -- surprised given his disciplined background Hank didn't call it a Hotwash or an After-Action Report -- summing up the moral of the story about being on our guard against greed. I'd forgotten how enlightening the clarity of children's fiction could be, although the profound mysteries in adult (maybe all) fiction are also good. I didn't remember it as well as #1, but I think of the set I've read so far recently (#1, #3, #7) it's my favorite.

[Cassie Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Hank the Cowdog comes into a priceless fortune, he decides he needs to make some lifestyle changes. He can work at the ranch no longer because dogs of his caliber aren’t supposed to associate with the working class. But a fortune is mighty appealing to thieves, and Hank’s got to protect it. Is this the end of our hardworking ranch dog? Or will his fortune go as fast as it came?

A great addition to the series, we explore Hank as he realizes the burden of riches. With some old favorites lime Missy Coyote and Junior Buzzard as well as some not so favorites like Scraunch and Snort, Hank’s got a lot to contend with to keep his prize. It might be best to read a couple of the previous books so you have context for some of the characters, but if you don’t want to, go ahead and Juli in. This book is full of Hank’s charm and grit and you will love it either way.

[Esther Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

My siblings have enjoyed Hank’s stories for years now, and recently, when trying to decide what to read to my youngest sisters at bedtime, one of them helped pick this book out. I’ve been intrigued about it for a while, so it was fun to finally get to read it. This story made for a great bedtime story (most of the time, anyway—we had to read an extra chapter here and there when it got too scary!). My sisters and I had great delight in calling Hank a bit of a dunce and dumbbell here and there (don’t let him hear that; it’ll hurt his feelings), and overall, it was a delightful read. Highly recommended!

[Skylar Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these books aloud to my son at bedtime, and they are some of the few books he likes that I also enjoy reading. They're great fun to read aloud. They're a bit repetitive and predictable - it's the same basic joke time and again (Hank himself is the joke), but the stories are always well told, the voice the author has developed for his "head of ranch security" is highly entertaining, and the various characters are quirky. It's warm, funny, and occasionally surprises the reader with its cleverness. These books are what I imagine it might be like if Looney Tunes cartoons became novels.

[Dylan Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as a Christmas present for my 7 yo, animal-loving niece. I grew up reading these books, and I loved them when I was a kid. During our last trip to our local bookstore, we saw that they had a bunch of Hank the Cowdog books and it took me back. I had to get it for her, plus I got to reread it!

Good ol Hank is still the Head of Ranch security. Nothing gets past his sharp gaze and intellectualism.

I loved getting to take a trip down memory lane! lol

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1993/1994 someone donated a "box" set of Hank the Cowdog books to the group home I lived in. I remember well that the set included 22 books and I remember flying through them one by one. I'm not sure I was in the age range of the target audience, but I loved them nonetheless. It is a fond memory in a sea of uncertainty. I can honestly say that these books got me through a rough time.

[John Stults · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great Hank the Cowdog story

I think if you like the Hank the Cowdog stories you will enjoy this one. Certainly my 3 and 6 year old grand daughters did. This one has a good moral story line showing how chasing or protecting a priceless possession can be a big problem. A curse. Of course Hank makes the proper decision in the end. A good story and well worth reading.

[Pantheios · Rating 4 out of 5]

"من حتی نمی‌دونم منظورت از کار جسمانی چیه؟ پس چطور می تونم انجامش بدم؟"
"فقط کافیه بروید و یک گاو را گاز بگیرید، همین."
"اگه جفتک پروند چی؟"
"در آن صورت دندان هایتان را به بیرون تف بفرمایید و با لثه گازش بگیرید."

[Jenn]

reading aloud with the kids while we are quarantined.

[Jagger]

it was a good book

[Jennifer Sherwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books in the series.

[Kelly Barth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as enjoyable as some of the other Hank the Cowdogs.

[Cyndie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hank is gullible and super confident in himself. It all works out in the end. Lots of jokes.

[DocHolidavid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ol' Hank gives up riches to save his ranch, and learns that wealth can ruin a dog - let alone a man.

[Timothy]

wrlugfowiesrlugf

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another really good one!

[bear.hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud

[Lesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hank is fun

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Hank story, and Ive read 51 so far. This one is actually a re-read, my family loved it so much.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my kids. We love Hank the Cowdog.

[Sahar · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Hank's feeling wealthy with his British accent, hilarious! 😂

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that Hank thought the corncob was priceless, and it was worth $100. I liked that the buzzards were birds. I thought they were bugs.

Ida:
**
I like the cows, and I like the buzzards.

[Kayla Upshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute and surprisingly cohesive (as far as Hank the cowdog books go). Hank is duped into thinking a corncob is valuable and it's pretty entertaining

[Kaytee · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book was also dumb but fun to read and i could not believe they thought that those corncobs were priceless and to come to think about it they are pretty dumb dogs.

[Loren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio is great

[Owen L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book because it was about the adventures of a dog that lived on a ranch. The main character is a cowdog named Hank. The story is told from Hank's point of view which makes the book both funny and interesting. In this book Hank thinks that a corncob is one of the most priceless things that a dog could have. His adventure in this book is trying to save his corncob from the other animals on the ranch. The author, John R. Erickson, who has written a whole series on Hank, lives in San Antonio, TX. I recommend this book to someone who enjoys reading about adventures and animals on a ranch.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son loves the Hank the Cowdog books and has read many of them. He tells me which ones I should read and sometimes -- such as with this one -- makes sure I get started on them. For this one, he brought the audiobook to the car and asked if we could listen to it on our drive... that's how I heard the first 2 or 3 chapters.

This may be the funniest Hank the Cowdog book I have heard. The conversations between Drover and Hank are the best part of this book... they talk at cross purposes so often. I do also like the moral about putting your friends before your own personal gain. This would be a great read-aloud book, too, because an appreciative audience will be laughing aloud very often.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erickson understands dog behavior. That's what makes his books so cherished by kids from the country who love dogs. Hank the Cowdog is the typical self-important male who thinks he owns the place and is always trying to solve the case. And Drover is the frightened runt. They make a great team. Fun reads for kids.