This TOS Crew review is for

Published by Maverick Press, these western style children's fiction books have been read by thousands of young boys and girls.  Each story is the adventures of Hank and his friends at his ranch home.  The style of writing uses a lot of cowboy talk and ranch slang terms which could be fun and engaging for little boys.  But if your home doesn't allow words such as "stupid" please be aware that this book might not be for you. 

We received three products for review:

#8-The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse

From the back cover:

An eye for an eye,

Things are looking pretty bleak for Hank the Cowdog.  First he gets sick on poisned bacon grease. Then he accidentally trips Sally May-and she ends up with a broken ankle. And if that's not bad enough, he gets stuck playing dress-up with Amy and Ashley, Little Alfred's cousins.  But when Tuerto the Killer Stud Horse breaks free and charges at the girls, Hank knows it's up to him to protect them.  He'll show that one-eyed horse who's boss-even if it means risking his own life!

My thoughts:

We've owned a Hank the Cowdog book for several years, it was highly recommended to me by several homeschool moms.  They raved at how much their children enjoyed it.  I've offered it to Elizabeth as a selection for her fiction read, several times, each time she's choosen something else.  Not wanting an argument about reading it, this time, I read it myself.  As a dog owner I enjoyed the conversations that Hank has with himself and his friend Drover.  They are funny and similar to what we humans must think that our dog's are thinking about.  The literary style and writing is well done, the story-line is humerous and light, the vocabulary is extensive.  The problem I encountered was some of the language and the disrespect that everyone has for the mother, Sally May.  My litmus test for picking fictional reads for our home is this question "Is it good and pure?"   So for our home, filled with girls, Hank the Cowdog is not a good choice.  If you have children that enjoy dog adventures and you do not mind a few words like "stupid" then Hank the Cowdog would be a good choice. 

Cost:

The paperback book price @ Hank the Cowdog website is: $4.24

This fun and engaging game is similar to Trouble, the board is set up with holes and each player receives three pegs as their pieces.  The neat thing about these pegs is at the top of each is a book character, one is Hank, then Drover and finally the Buzzard.  The game is centered around the Hank the Cowdog book The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado.  The object of the game is to be the first to get your three players "home" safely.  Also included is an audio cassette of The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado.

My Thoughts:

We really enjoyed playing this game, the little girls thought the game pieces were fun.  If you were a big Hank the Cowdog fan, this game would be a must.  I'm sure that having read the books you could use your Hank voice to narrate your moves around the board.  My daughters have played Trouble, so they didn't get fussy when they were moved back to their home spots by their sister.  Sometimes when you play Trouble the dice seems to pop on the same number over and over, this similar thing occured with the game spinner.  I liked the twist of having the Buzzard start at another spot and has to come out only on the number six.  The tornado's on the game board were nice to, it helped solidfy "odd" and "even" numbers for Elizabeth.  If you want a quick game I would suggest only playing with two players, when played with four there is a greater chance of being sent home.  This constantly being sent home can really drag the game out.

This game is defintely a keeper in our home and will be played a lot! 

Price: $12.99 @ HanktheCowdog.com

Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog

Get ready for laughs when you listen to these excerpts from ten of Hank’s stories.

They are performed like an old-time radio show with sound effects and each character has its own unique voice! You will hear Hank as he bargains for a priceless corncob, learns about manners from Wallace the Buzzard, runs into Rip and Snort the coyote brothers, taunts a raging rottweiler, gets into trouble with Sally May the rancher’s wife, and more!