The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (John R. Erickson)

[**] ISBN: 9780877191209

I like children's books. Sometimes it's fun to put one in the mix and read something with a simpler point of view. This isn't a bad one, but I don't think it's a good one. There are some cute concepts, starting with the title character and his 'job'. And there are some interesting supporting characters here. But I think the book falls short on a couple of points.

First, a good children's book doesn't talk down to it's audience. In the most subtle of ways, I think that's what this one does. It's OK to have some rough language in a book about life on a ranch or a farm. But I think the writing here goes a bit too far in an attempt to let kids be in on the joke of a curmudgeonly dog that doesn't take any guff and has a problem with 'eye-crosserosis'.

Second, a good children's book simply shouldn't promote fighting as a way to solve problems. At least not one written in the last twenty years. This one does. OK, 1983 is a bit outside the time window. But I still wouldn't have read it to my kids, if I'd have encountered it back then. This may reflect how dogs act, especially those living on a ranch. That doesn't mean this behavior should be encouraged.

That all being noted, it's not a horrible book. Just disappointing. Perhaps most disappointing was that in a book about a 'cow dog', there were no cows (or other cattle). They're sort of implied by the setting, and maybe the first book in the series had some, but they are not visible in this story.