John R. Erickson
John R. Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, is gifted with a storyteller's knack for spinning a yarn. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse of daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. This series of books and tapes is in school libraries across the country, has sold more than 7.6 million copies, is a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and is the winner of the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association. Publishers Weekly calls Hank a "grassroots publishing phenomena," and USA Today says this is "the best family entertainment in years."
Hank the Cowdog made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults, and when Erickson started getting "Dear Hank" letters, he knew he was onto something. So in 1983, he self-published 2,000 copies of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, and they sold out in 6 weeks.
When teachers began inviting Erickson to their schools, Hank found his most eager fans. Teachers, librarians, and students alike love Hank. According to some Texas Library Association surveys, the Hank the Cowdog books are the most popular selections in many libraries' children's sections. The lively characters make excellent material for reading and writing lessons, and turn even the most reluctant readers into avid Hank-fans.
Erickson was born in Midland, Texas, but by the age of 3, he had moved with his family to Perryton, Texas, where he and his wife live today on their working cattle ranch. They have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. His advice to young writers is, "Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before."
“I don't like to complain about life's little ups and downs, but maybe we should talk about it.”
“The best cure for a broken heart is a dozen eggs.”
“My idea of being a nice dog stops short of getting murdered for it.”
“When you have nothing to say, one of your alternatives is to keep your trap shut.”
“Coyotes can’t expect to keep friends when they eat them all the time.”
“Bravery and devotion to duty hath no greater reward than to see the cat get into trouble.”
“Confession is good for all of us, but even better for you than for me.”
“I’m flatulent in many languages.”
“I’ve never been convinced that the sun would come up without me barking.”
“When you find a germ of truth, beware. Those germs can make you sick.”
“Cats are greedy, whereas I merely want all the scraps.”
“When I’m alone, I’m in the company of the most interesting dog I know.”
“In my job, nobody ever says a word when you do something right, but make one mistake?”
“When time marches on, it steps on your nose and tail, and leaves boot prints down your back.”
“Don’t take anything for granite. That’s what tombstones are made of.”
“One riot, one cowdog.”
“There’s no better way to mess up a good cowdog than to let him discover that goofing off beats the heck out of hard work.”
“Buzzards don’t make good friends. They always have an interior motive.”
“Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before.”
“Hank is a dog, not a human dressed up in a dog suit. Humans share some of his flaws, but I get my ideas from watching dogs.”
“He had a good heart, he wanted to help with the cattle work, he thought he was Head of Ranch Security, but he wasn’t very smart and never understood why the cowboys were mad at him all the time.” (regarding the original Hank the Cowdog)”
“My parents placed a high value on reading, starting with the King James Bible, and one whole wall of our living room was filled, floor to ceiling, with books. But I was an outside kid and didn’t have the patience to be a reader. That changed, briefly, when I discovered Tom Sawyer in the fourth grade. That was the one book I truly loved. I read it several times, then read Huckleberry Finn. I was fascinated by the way Twain played with language and used regional dialects. But what amazed me most was that Twain allowed the reader to laugh. Reading didn’t have to be drudgery. Twain didn’t allow it.”