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2026 Texas Great Read
Youth Selection

Hank the Cowdog #83: The Case of the Poison Toad by John R. Erickson

Cover of Hank the Cowdog The Case of the Poison Toad showing a drawing of a brown dog snarling at a toad on a porch while a white dog looks on behind a fence behind the brown dog. At the top left is a drawing of the brown dog in the center of a metal sheriff badge


Hank the Cowdog #83: The Case of the Poison Toad
It's time for the ranch’s annual Fourth of July picnic, and what begins as a happy occasion soon takes a sinister turn when Drover reports that a wart-spreading toad is threatening the occupants of the ranch house!

And that’s not all...

Soon after that near-disaster, he discovers that a couple of town thugs—Buster and Muggs—have come carousing, threatening the success of the entire picnic.

Will Hank be able to single-handedly rid his ranch of this sudden influx of invaders, or is it possible that he’ll receive help from an entirely unexpected quarter?

For more information about Hank the Cowdog (characters, other books in the series, downloadable activities and educational resources for teachers) go to Hank’s official website: www.hankthecowdog.com

Maverick Books, 2025

About the Author

Photograph of John Erickson wearing a cowboy hat and hands crossed on a stack of books

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 and is popular with readers around the world. 
 

 

 



Page last modified: May 18, 2026