The whole store pulsed with excitement as crowds began to gather for the signing event held on July 28, 2010. Both grandparents and parents brought their kids of all ages who milled around expectantly while more kept pouring in the doors. Some wore cowboy or cowgirl hats, some wore ranch clothes, and others just wore that satisfied expression only a cowdog reader knows.
Grand Opening Hosts Author and Senior Citizen John R. Erickson
The meeting room of The Homeschool House was set up like a ranch complete with corral fence and barbed wire. Balloons marked the area where Hank the Cowdog books and cowdog paraphernalia galore were laid out for all to admire. There were the usual wildly illustrated books in the series of over 50 stories as well as CD's, tote bags, and puppets.
Luckily there was a restroom available since a number of cowdog admirers bought cowdog shirts and changed into them immediately. They sported sayings like "Oh, My Leg" or "It's Me Again" with pictures of the cowdog himself. A few brave souls even donned the shirt of the head dog "Hank the Cowdog – Head of Ranch Security" and smiles abounded as people chuckled themselves right into the cowdog spirit! Face painting was the order of the day as children held still while Hank the Cowdog showed up on their faces resplendent with a few other decorations.
This celebration was held to highlight the opening of a store, meeting place, and support system for homeschoolers in this general area. They stock a variety of curriculum items and educational materials from a variety of sources. This event served as a community kickoff for some to The Texas Home School Coalition State Convention and Family Conference held in The Woodlands the same week.
Hank the Cowdog Book Signing Event
There were specialized cupcakes, cookies, door prizes, and a huge cake. Amid the cookies and conversation, a large group of children lounged on bean bags in the Children's Corner watching movies while older students and adults milled around. All the while, the author patiently sat and chatted while autographing countless items as the line moved on.
In earlier conversations this older adult author noted that he originally started writing the stories for older readers, but readers of all ages have eagerly latched onto them as both the humor and the concepts operate on several levels and appeal to a variety of ages. Hank the Cowdog was never seen to sign any books, but there was no doubt of his presence!
Both parents and teachers expressed appreciation for his writing books which boys would read as well as girls. Book series such as this keep kids reading till it becomes a habit. Hank the Cowdog can teach young readers that life may not be fair, but it can be fun and interesting.
Cowdog Songs and a John R. Erickson Reading
At one point he pulled out a banjo, walked over by the kids sitting on the floor and began to tickle the strings to make Hank the Cowdog come alive. He sang from Story # 11, "Disorienttion, revelation. It'll turn your head around. It's hard to keep your feet on the ground, When you're hanging upside down!" Words began to fly from his mouth like flies from a fly swatter!
After several songs from various stories about Hank and his friends, Erickson sang his Latin bluegrass song where he combined chords and belted out Glorias for a downhome country cowdog song. He said he enlisted the help of his wife and two children to achieve the choral effect for the CD. At a child's request he sang acapella "Just a Worthless Coyote" and ended with a doggie love song.
It was clear that readers would develop both vocabulary and concepts from his books and music. Now that he had their attention after a few songs, he began to read. Another song ended with "Alas and alack." Giggles ensued as he seemed to play with words. Adults were laughing as much as the children. His ability to switch voices of Buzzard, Coyote, etc. made the conversation songs come alive to the roar of the listeners.
John R. Erickson Shares Ideas About Writing
Erickson believes a person must "live it first, then write it." He related the story of how the stories were rejected everywhere he sent them, causing him to go the self-publishing route. He came about the song-writing quite naturally also. He grew up in a musical home, singing in church choirs since he was four years old.
He told of working as a real cowboy on a ranch in Oklahoma where there was a dog named Hank who indeed thought he was the head of ranch security. This dog had no self-knowledge which led to the book's cowdog describing things he doesn't understand like calling the airplane a silver monster in the sky. He also spoke of being one of those boys who wasn't crazy about reading, and was glad that he could write books which readers could enjoy.
When asked where Rip and Snort came from, he mentioned he had always been fascinated watching interactions between dogs and coyotes. Drover's personality came from a ranch he worked on where there was a sawed off chicken hearted dog who never got in trouble and never did anything wrong.
He reminded aspiring writers to read Story Craft which he wrote to relate his journey both in life and in writing. He shared a recent situation where a dog named Bozo chewed $700 worth of electric circuits, saying events like this give him ideas for stories.
Senior citizen and writer John R. Erickson brings a lifetime of experiences and humor to his signing events. This senior author was the featured guest at the grand opening of The Homeschool House in Oak Ridge, Texas north of Houston. This grandfatherly gentlemen graciously signed books and other items for a goodly number of cowdog fans, both young and old. Then he sang cowdog songs and performed a reading from his Hank the Cowdog series.
Hildra Tague - Mrs. Hildra Tague is a freelance writer, consultant, and teacher dedicated to issues of education and parenting. This all started when she ...
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