Books with author J.R. Erickson

It's Valentine's Day on the ranch but bachelor-cowboy Slim Chance doesn't know it. Sally May tells him to forget about the cows and "Go to town and buy a nice gift for Miss Viola!" Slim hates to shop, but he goes to town (with the dogs, of course) and buys a nice box of candy for Miss Viola. But on the way to Viola's house, Hank and Drover take an interest in the candy and...will there be a Happy Valentine's Day on the ranch? Slim sings a bachelor's opinion in his "Valentine's Song."

That's right! It all starts with Hank as a puppy enjoying his family's backyard home. But, feathers really fly when Hank the puppy defends his backyard against invading -- Phantom Ducks? Hank's mother says it's a good time for him to go out on his own before the dogcatcher arrives! Hank makes his way to the Twitchell Livestock Auction. Will he join up with Slim, the cowboy he meets there? Or will the dogcatcher provide his new home? Hear Hank sing "Leaving Home." Bonus Stories: Included on this audio are the first two Hank the Cowdog short stories ever written!

To Cheat or Not To Cheat That is just one of the questions to be answered on the ranch! While interrogating J.T. Cluck, will Hank be able to figure out what scary creatures are planning an attack on the ranch? After Hank lures Pete the Barncat into making a foolish bet for scraps, would Pete try to cheat the Head of Ranch Security? Will Truth and Justice (Hank) win in the end? Hear Hank sing the hilarious song, Don't Get Your News From a Chicken.

Everyone knows that bears live in the mountains and there are no mountains in the Texas Panhandle. So, when Slim claims to have seen a bear cross the road, no one knows what to believe, that is, until Deputy Kile spreads a report that there really is a bear on the loose in Ochiltree County! With news like this, the ranch's Security Force goes on Red Alert. Will Hank be able to defend the ranch from a raging, prowling bear?

It's New Years Eve day on the ranch, and Slim and Miss Viola are both having second thoughts about their engagement – only for very different reasons. Viola returns the lock-washer ring Slim had given her a week before, but before Slim can fix things with Viola, Uncle Johnny asks for his help with a “little job.” Like all of Uncle Johnny's “little jobs,” this one ends up being a lot more than Slim signed-up for and the day's events put him in a race against the clock. Will he make it to dinner at Viola's house in time to straighten things out, or will Hank and Drover live the rest of their doggy lives without ever seeing Miss Viola again?

Pete the Barncat isn’t known for his reliable story-telling, but when his report about a strange, tree-devouring creature is corroborated by another source—namely J.T. Cluck, the ranch’s head rooster—Hank decides to investigate. However, just as the plot begins to thicken, Pete claims that it was all a joke and that the creature, a Three-Toed Tree Sloth, was really just a porcupine! Fortunately, Hank realizes that that’s just what a sneaky cat would say to throw him off the trail, and his continued investigation soon leads him to a strange, bumbling little creature—the Tree Sloth at last! With the finely-tuned instincts of a Head of Ranch Security, Hank realizes that he must arrest this intruder! However, things don’t turn out quite like he’d planned, and Hank soon has a very serious problem on his hands...

Children will enjoy these great adventures of Hank the cowdog! The popular Hank the Cowdog stories are based on the humorous antics of the canine Head of Ranch Security, told from the viewpoint of Hank. (#11) Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest; (#12) Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox; (#13) The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve; (#14) Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business; (#15) The Case of the Missing Cat; (#16) Lost in the Blinding Blizzard; (#17) The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog; (#18) The Case of the Hooking Bull; (#19) The Case of the Midnight Rustler; (#20) The Phantom in the Mirror.