The Case of the Coyote Invasion

Hank the Cowdog #56

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

Hank's in trouble again, but when he tries to apologize to Sally May, she just doesn't get the message. Before Hank has a chance to convince her, he learns that the ranch is being targeted for a major invasion from the dreaded coyotes. Does Hank have what it takes to save his reputation and protect the ranch?

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Mystery, Animals, Adventure

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2010

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

[Linda Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This mystery series of books are raaly worth reading, It is funny and adventurous, with characters students will root for! The vocabulary is interesting and above the story itself, with invented words that would be a good text model for context clues for meaning. K-6th will have fun with this book as a read-aloud for a discussion of author's voice and vocabulary with a guided reading level of P.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Hank the Cowdog very much and laughed and smirked my way along through this read, per usual. I enjoy stories with Scraunch and Rip & Snort. This isn't my favorite story including them, but funny as usual. If you've never read Hank and/or are looking for some comedic literature, give ol' Hanky a try.

[Linnea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Hank episode. I love how the 4 year old laughs at Hank's antics

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read aloud with the kids

[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.

[Ratforcekids · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hank the Cowdog books are hilarious! He is the guardian of the ranch and is always on the lookout for a mystery to solve. Great fun with lots of books in the series.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright. I liked being able to do a southern drawl while reading the book to Dylan, but the story didn't have much meat to it. And there are 55 other Hank the Cowdog books? Really?

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheapo dog food and birdseed incident. Dog named smash.