by Traci Best
(Indianapolis, In)
I have had the pleasure recently of perusing some items from Maverick Books Inc. the distributors of the Hank The Cow Dog series written by John R. Erickson. I had heard of Hank in the past, (my oldest nephew read Hank and loved it when he was a kid...and he is almost 24!) but never had any personal experience with him until now.
I knew there were some controversy about the content of the books and language that Hank uses, but after reading The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse to my children my fears were put to rest. We all enjoyed Hank so much. I particularly loved reading Hank out loud to them because of his southern, country vernacular. The giggles were endless! Reading out loud also gave us the opportunity to talk about elements of the story and discuss it.
Hank gets into some scrapes, there is no denying it, but reading the stories together allow us to discuss how he might avoid such problems in the future or do things better next time. What a prime opportunity to prepare our children for problem solving!
If you visit Hank's website you will find that there are now 54 issues of Hanks adventures...and several other goodies also. We were able to try out a CD called Tales and Tunes from Hank The Cow Dog. This disc includes 10 excerpts from Hank's books and 9 original songs. It is fun to enjoy on a car ride or while playing. I had no idea you could also purchase CDs for any of Hank's 54 books! What a fun way to listen and read along for a slower reader, or just to reinforce new or difficult words for an early reader.
Also included for us to enjoy...Tornado! This board game, starring Hank and friends, is perfect for travel. It folds up and locks with the loose pieces contained inside! It is perfect to throw in a bag to go with you anywhere you might need to entertain little ones for a few minutes. Tornado is based on the Hank the Cow Dog issue number 25 by the same name. "Take a spin on this Tornado! It's a race to be the first to get your three 'characters' from the start to the finish." There is even a cassette tape included to listen to with excerpts from this issue.
I'm so glad I got the opportunity to review these products...we have enjoyed them immensely. I hope you will hop on over to Hank's website or visit a bookstore near you soon so that you can too!
My comments: I am also part of the TOS homeschool crew and was able to review this series too. If you want another review on this series, you can read mine here.