
"Saxon is frustrated because he can't get any of his dogs out," Maria answered first.
"Well...." Christina paused. (She is twelve and the game was created for much younger children.)
"I love it!" twenty-two year old Aisha gushed. She is very young at heart.
"It's a lot like Parcheesi," Maria added, "You move around the board and if you land on someone else's spot you send them back, no wait, that's the other game. In Tornado, you just share a spot.
I glanced at the small plastic game board. It was bright, cheerful, and colorful. The little doggie pieces were cute as could be. Thirty minutes later, Saxon, who had by then gotten out onto the board, was enjoying the game immensely. Saxon is nine years old!

My son, Jimmy and I both read the book, agreeing that Hank the Cow Dog was hilarious. The book was a little young for Jimmy, age eleven, but we thought his friend, Saxon, age nine, would enjoy it. Neither of us could help laughing aloud at Hank's escapades on the ranch where he lives with his assistant, Drover, Sally May, Loper, Little Alfred, and his nemesis, Pete, the cat.
Hank is always doing something he shouldn't do, whether it's snacking on bacon grease, licking Sally Mae's nose, or stealing the family's pumpkin pie. Hank is incredibly funny as he narrates the book, telling the whole story from his perspective. I loved to see the story unfold through his eyes. For the most part, Hank is a wholesome character, but in the beginning of the book, he does encourage his readers to lie about wetting the bed. It's all very tongue-in-cheek and silly, but still...However, though Hank gets into trouble because of the choices he makes, in his world, good is good and bad is bad. Bad deeds are punished and good deeds are rewarded. And though the stories are silly, I felt like I was visiting a ranch in Texas. I liked the book!

The Tornado game is available in Hank the Cow Dog's website store . You can also purchase the book Jimmy and I read in the store as a paperback, as a hardcover, as an audio CD, or a combination paperback and audio CD. The audio CDs are complete with singing! The cowboy songs are fun to listen to! Maybe you and your kids can do a little square dancing with your Hank the Cowdog CD!
Looking for fun books for your youngsters to read? This may be what you are looking for, especially if you have boys. They will be entertained by Hank's capers and may just want to read all 54 books!
Here is a partial list of Hank the Cow Dog's book titles:
- Hank the Cow Dog
- The Further Adventures of Hank the Cow Dog
- It's a Dog's Life
- Murder in the Middle Pasture
- Faded Love
- Let Sleeping Dogs Life
- The Curse of the Incredible Princess Corncob
- Every Dog has His Day
- Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest
- The Fiddle-Playing Fox
- The Case of the Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve
- The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog
- The Case of the Double-Bumble Bee Sting
- The Case of the Swirling Killer Tomato
- The Case of the Haystack Kitties
- The Fling
- The Secret Laundry Monster Files
- The Garbage Monster from Outer Space
- The Case of the Twisted Kitty
- The Case of the Tender Cheeping Chickies
- The Quest for the Great White Quail
- Drover's Secret Life
You can see from the titles, that Hank offers lighthearted fun for your young-ins! Hurry up Pardner, saddle up and getcha to readin'!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)