Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Austin, TX – The Texas Center for the Book is delighted to announce its Texas Great Read titles for 2026. The Center has chosen Hank the Cowdog #83: The Case of the Poison Toad by John R. Erickson as the 2026 Texas Great Read Youth Selection. Small Town Author, also by Erickson, is the 2026 Texas Great Read Adult Selection.
Erickson is the beloved author of the Hank the Cowdog series, which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. They are many young readers’ first chapter books. Small Town Author, published by Texas Tech University Press, is Erickson’s autobiography and shares his journey from the small town to the big city and back again. Hank the Cowdog: The Case of the Poison Toad, published by Maverick Books and illustrated by Nicolette G. Earley, continues Hank’s adventures with his sidekick Drover, on their ranch in West Texas.
This marks the first time the Texas Center for the Book has selected Adult and Youth Great Reads by the same author. We are proud to announce our titles for 2026 and to celebrate Erickson and his many years of creating books for children that are deeply rooted in the ranching heritage of Texas.
The Center invites Texans to read Hank the Cowdog: The Case of the Poison Toad and Small Town Author, available at your local library and at bookstores in your community. Texas Talking Book Program patrons may also check out Hank the Cowdog: The Case of the Poison Toad and Small Town Author from the TBP collection.
To kick off 2026 Texas Great Read celebrations, readers of all ages are also invited to a special #TXBookChat webinar on Weds., June 10, at 10 a.m. CDT. In this free, virtual book event, Erickson will discuss both Small Town Author and the inspiration behind Hank the Cowdog. All are invited to register at www.tsl.texas.gov/txbookchat.
Read more about John Erickson, his work, the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock and their Ranch Life Learning Series featuring Hank the Cowdog, over on the Texas Bookshelf Chronicles blog, at www.tsl.texas.gov/tcfb.
About John R. Erickson
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.
About the Youth Selection, 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 Adult Selection, Small Town Author
More than fifty years ago, John R. Erickson took a vow of discipline. Every day, he would retreat to some quiet place and write for four hours. For nearly as many years, readers have eagerly awaited the fruits of those labors, whether they be in the form of Hank the Cowdog installments or other books on ranching and the writing life in Texas.
Small Town Author documents the journey of a young man eager to escape his Panhandle childhood to the adult who returned to write books for the rural readers he had previously scorned. While a story about literature and writers, Small Town Author also considers universal questions of how we come of age, how leaving home changes us and how returning can make us whole.
Texas Tech University Press, 2025
There are 56 Centers for the Book, representing each state and U.S. territory, affiliated with the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Annually, these affiliated Centers for the Book select “Great Reads from Great Places.” In most cases, these books are written by authors from their state or territory, take place in their state or territory and/or celebrate local culture and heritage. Each Center for the Book affiliate chooses its Great Reads titles by convening expert panels and/or welcoming nominations from the public.
The Great Read titles are also recognized each year at the National Book Festival, hosted by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The 2026 National Book Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 22. Check out the Library of Congress website for details.
For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov/greatreadtexas.
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The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information they need to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov.