Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business

Hank the Cowdog #14

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

A convoy of circus trucks is passing through the ranch. The last truck in the column hits a bump and a large red box fall off and comes to rest in the pasture. Hank and Drover investigate the box and discover it contains a circus monkey. Pete advises Hank not to open it but Hank's curiosity gets the best of him. What follows is fun and adventure.

Two songs are sure to delight: "Monkey business" and "I can see you now."

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Mystery, Animals, Comedy, Middle Grade, Adventure

122 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

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

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! I haven't had so much fun while reading for a while, it was so funny. The diatribe about Chickens is the greatest, not to mention the procedure for aprehending a box. I'm still laughing!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny as usual... recommend to all...

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Hank the Cowdog book so far!

[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.

[Angieluila Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of fun. Way to enjoy and evening with my kids.

[Kim Legg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful book

[J]

CRW

[Noctis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demonish master Hank got his lesson 😂

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story but not my thing.

[Jared Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erickson, John. Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business. New York: Penguin Group, 1990.
Genre - Fiction - Talking Dogs
This book is about two dogs, Hank, which is the dong in charge of the ranch, and Drover, which is his lazy, half-witted sidekick. The text itself is very amusing. There are tons of word plays on every page that leave the reader thinking about what was really just said. For example when they're getting ready to chase rabbits, the other says "oh rats!" as in he's complaining, and the other corrects "not rats, rabbits." Throughout the book there are even more less obvious ones and even some that can be kind of twisted. My favorite is when Drover is told to move to the left, he moves right, and Hank says no, he moved the wrong way, move left, right is wrong. The story is about these dogs who seem to be very intelligent and rational but in reality have the intelligence of a normal dumb dog. Which to a child could be very amusing.
The book is more focused on being amusing more than anything. However there are a lot of word plays that can help children learn the abnormalities of language. The book also leaves room for an adult reader to be very interactive with children listening. For example, everything that the two dogs have to figure out the kids could guess what they must do before reading what they actually did.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this very much, though I must admit my 10 year old loved it. I read it to him at bedtime over about a week. I guess I was expecting something else- to me Hank the Cowdog sounds like a good guy, not an arrogant and rude know-it-all, which is what he turns out to be. There were a few parts I thought were funny, but not as many as the annoying ones. Also, if you're reading this to young children you should know there's a scene where Hank and the monkey get drunk together. Will not be reading any more of this series.

[Madi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hank the Cowdog and the crazy adventures that happen in all of the books. I enjoyed reading this book so much, even if it is geared for younger boys. These books took me back to my childhood and how i used to read them with my brother. I love that it isn't just a little story but that it can keep the reader interested for more then just a few pages. I highly recommend this book for anyone, young or old.

[Darryl Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read pretty much this entire series years ago after I descovered them in my elementary school libary. The plot, and characters are great. Plus these books are extremly funny. I loved this series then and I still love it.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son (6) listens to this on audiobook. Every night while falling asleep if I let him. Up until last year my son had no interest in books, even to be read to, and now thanks to Hank the Cowdog he is going to the library with me every week!

[Corinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care much for this book.

[Puffycheaks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it!

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

as always, had me on the floor laughing.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

read to kids. some funny lines but overall OK.

[Zach Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like the part when the monkey is riding Hank and Hank is trying to get him off.

[Chandler Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

it wasn't the best hank book, but it was really good.

[Catherine Molakal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun

[Hillvan]

790L

[SSM · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. This one is one of the funniest so far (even tho Iv'e already read them all:) When hank starts talking only in "Y"'s it's so funny.