The Case of the Hooking Bull

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

Overview

Against her better judgment, Sally May leaves the ranch in Slim’s care. While Slim naps, Hank and Little Alfred subject strawberry ice cream to rigorous product testing and then go for a ride in a mysterious spaceship. But, it’s when Slim finally awakens that their adventures really begin. Hank saves Slim from sure death, endures a terrible whipping from the Hooking Bull, and much, much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591887188
Publisher:	MAVERICK BOOKS INC
Publication date:	03/15/1992
Series:	Hank the Cowdog , #18
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	93
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

John R. Erickson, a former cowboy, has written numerous books for both children and adults and is best known for his acclaimed Hank the Cowdog series. The Hank series began as a self-publishing venture in Erickson's garage in 1982 and has endured to become one of the nation’s most popular series for children and families. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse into daily life on a cattle ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. His stories have won a number of awards, including the Audie, Oppenheimer, Wrangler, and Lamplighter Awards, and have been translated into Spanish, Danish, Farsi, and Chinese. USA Today calls the Hank the Cowdog books "the best family entertainment in years.” Erickson lives and works on his ranch in Perryton, Texas, with his family.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-6-- This is #18 in the series, and judging from what happens to Hank in this book, it's a wonder he is still alive. Loper and Sally May leave their ranch and Little Alfred, their son, in the care of ranch-hand, Slim, while they attend an out-of-town wedding. As self-appointed head of ranch security, Hank the Cowdog makes it his business to keep an eye on things. (A page at the end of the book offers children the opportunity to become a member of Hank's Security Squad by sending in $5.) The canine warns readers early on that `` . . . this is going to be a pretty scary story . . . ,'' but gratituously violent is a more appropriate adjective. Hank has stones thrown at him, gets violently ill from eating too much ice cream, is attacked by an angry bull, and almost drowns in a stock tank. In a dreadful scene toward the end of the book, Slim is pinned beneath his horse, who is lassoed to an enraged bull who, in turn, attacks the horse. Of course, just like in the movies, everyone survives. The line drawings interspersed throughout are appealing and bring out the comic aspects of the characters that are lacking in the writing. One exception is the drawing of Hank spinning around inside the clothes dryer while Little Alfred turns the control knob. This book is not funny, although it tries very hard to be. --Laura Culberg, Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago

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