Hank the Cowdog (Book 1) The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson

Rating: Not for me

Reading Level: Mid-Elementary

I saw this book recommended in Christian circles and available on Christianbook.com, so I think my expectations were for it to be much “cleaner” than it was. While this still may be fully appropriate for some families, I am going to try to give a thorough review of possible concerns so that you can decide for yourself (no judgement; I’m just laying it out there.)

I landed on “Not for me” because of the emotional abuse (I just don’t want my kids talking to others that way) and because of the way he talks about women. It’s not that I’m against men being attracted to women, but it was overdone for the target age group. I’d rather my sons make note of a woman’s character instead of focussing only on physical attractiveness. However, I’d be open to trying more books in the series.

Possible Concerns:

• Evolution. Hank says he can sort of speak Coyote because they were the same species before they split.
• Alcohol/Drunkenness. Hank and two coyote friends get drunk together by eating tons of silage. Hank loves it and doesn’t want to stop. His friends eventually pull him away.
• Womanizing. Hank has a near obsession with women. He is swayed by beautiful women, and brags to his friend that the women were fighting over him. I wouldn’t mind this for an older target audience, but young readers don’t need this kind of mentality modeled for them. Also, I’d prefer if he focussed on character in addition to beauty (he models a really superficial, unbiblical way of judging women.) Here are some examples: “[I have] a pretty nice kind of nose that women really go for.” “I dream about her a lot. What a woman!” (…Then Hank goes on to describe physical features, with no mention of her character.)
• Emotional Abuse. Hank tells his mentee he’s useless and criticizes him for cowardice and stupidity, among other things. Although most of his critiques are founded, they’re not tactfully communicated and are really degrading.
• Lying. Hank tells his friend that he was going undercover with the Coyotes when the truth is that he joined them with no such intentions. He also lies about the women fighting over him.
• “Murder.” Chickens are murdered by animals, presumably coyotes. When Hank eats a dead chicken, he is accused of being the culprit.
• Use of the term, “shut up.” I think, specifically it was when the man spoke to his dog: “Shut up that yapping, you idiot!”
• Guns. I’m not judging; I’m just saying some families may not like that guns are featured in several moments.
• Potty Humor. The dogs pee on a man’s car to insult a mean dog. There are also other jokes about peeing on things.

Some families live this series. One Facebook colleague wrote, “the audioboooks are soo funny.” However, she also admitted Hank demonstrates a bit of pride and does name call sometimes.”

There you have it! The choice is yours, and if you go for it, I hope you enjoy it!