Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest

By Gerald L. Holmes

Little Alfred is having a hard time accepting his new baby sister, Molly. Hank tries to give him some advice, but Alfred decides to run away from home. It's up to Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, to save Alfred from the coyotes, bobcats, and other monsters that lurk in the "dark unchanted forest."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maverick Books
• Release date: Oct 15, 1988
• ISBN: 9781591887119

Reviews for Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest

[jalenv_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's fun to anticipate Hank the Cowdog leaping to false conclusions in a single bound, his attempts to save face when he finds out he's wrong, mangling words, and yet somehow saving the day. Loved his reaction to newborn Molly Loper, though not the jealousy from big brother Alfred. Hank and Drover's conversation as they munched their tasteless co-op dog food in their improvised dog dish had me chuckling. Hank's encounter with the aptly-named Sinister made me wince in sympathy.The highlight, of course, was Hank's adventure in the dark 'unchanted' forest. The place frightened him enough that only danger to Little Alfred could get him to enter, and he almost chickened out. It was nice to see Madame Moonshine again. Rip and Snort, the coyote brothers, and the buzzards, Wallace and Junior, were also welcome. (I particularly enjoyed Wallace's contribution to 'I Love All Kinds of Stuff,' even if 'Disorientation' had a better tune.) Old-time background music I recognized: 'Turkey in the Straw,' 'I Dream of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair,' 'Old Folks at Home' (Way Down Upon the Suwanee/Swanee River') and 'Oh Shenandoah'.Hank continues to offer some fine listening pleasure. I'm miffed that some other library patron has beaten me to the next audio book in the series.

[quaintlittlehead · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book introduces some more interaction between Hank and one of the human characters, four-year-old Little Alfred (who ostensibly can understand what all the animals say). Alfred becomes upset when his parents bring home a new baby sister and acts out in a predictable way, which Hank must mediate. Much of the action of the story involves a magic-working owl, so some of the plot points seem to stretch the believability of the story world as established by previous books, yet this also injects a breath of fresh air into what was becoming a rather predictable series. This innovation builds a little bit of suspense about what is going to happen next and keeps you reading, even though the wit is not quite as sharp here as in some of the books.