Review -Hank the Cowdog

TOS Crew Review

* This Review consists of three products from Maverick Books, Inc. *

FIRST:
Product: Tornado Game
Publisher: Maverick Books, Inc.

This game reminds me of “Trouble” but is much more fun. The game board and pieces are good quality and very bright and colorful. It took me about 10 minutes or so to read over the directions. I took a few notes (I am a slow leaner), and then played this with my 12 year old son. We had a great time. There were a few things I appreciated about the game:

1. It required a lot of thinking skills. At certain times, if you happened to spin an even number, you were allowed to move forward. If, on the other hand, the number was odd, you had to move backward.
2. Patience is necessary. There are moments when your game piece is sent back to “start.” At other times, you could only move if you were able to spin the exact number you needed to get to the end. This is a very important skill (patience) you develop from the game.
3. You also get to learn manners. Each player is happy for each other, when they are close to winning, or feels compassionate when they have to move back to the beginning.

Overall impression: Excellent product. Children will enjoy this very much. The game pieces alone are so much fun to play with, it is a bonus there is a game as well! I only had one problem… the game came with a cassette tape which had excerpts from the actual Tornado story (the inspiration behind the game, book #25). I do not have a cassette player so I was not able to use it.

SECOND:
Product: “Hank the Cowdog – The case of the one-eyed killer stud horse” Book #8
Publisher: Maverick Books, Inc.

Overall impression:

I am not used to this kind of literature. It is written from the perspective of a dog. When I began reading this, I immediately thought of the movie "Homeward Bound" with "Chance, Shadow and Sassy" -that great cast of animal characters.

However, this story is a "silly" book about daily life at home on the ranch. Personally, I don’t have any pets, so I was enlightened to finally understand what a dog actually has to go through.

The language in this book includes words like "feller” and "dadgum " on occasion. I am guessing this is old cowboy talk. It puts you in the mood of being out in the country in the old west. The story includes passages that made me kind of squeamish. (This could have something to do with my grand ability to just about faint when I get too close to animals.)

This is an easy and quick read. There are 12 chapters and 120 pages. At the end of the book, you’ll find a wonderful resource. It is a sign up form to join “Hank the Cowdog Security Force.” This program includes membership, poster, The Hank Times newspaper, and much more at a very low price.

I consider this to be a secular book. According the website, the books in this series are in schools and libraries across the US. Many families will find the book entertaining.

THIRD:
Product: CD – Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog
Publisher: Maverick Books, Inc.

Description:

This CD contains story excerpts from 10 books in the Hank the Cowdog series. There are also 9 songs. The lyrics are included, which is a nice feature. It is beautifully illustrated and very colorful. This is professionally done. John R. Erickson is a talented storyteller and a darling country singer. I appreciated the sound effects and the charming background music. This product, however, is secular. It contains crude humor.



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