The Wounded Buzzard of Christmas Eve
Encyclopedia
The Wounded Buzzard of Christmas Eve is the 13th book in the Hank the Cowdog
book series.
that is coming down the road. Out comes the ranch-hand, Slim, and Slim puts down a package that Hank thinks is for him. Slim then trips over the local cat
, Pete. In the end the package turns out to be for the ranch's owner, High Loper. High Loper then gives Slim the job of taking his son, Little Alfred, to the Christmas Parade in town. While driving to town, the turkey vulture
, Wallace, suddenly goes flying through the windshield. Slim wants to leave him on the ground next to the road but Alfred wants to keep it, so they put Wallace in a bag and put it in the back of the truck. Once they reach town, Hank notices a little poodle
making fun of him. He in the end scares the poodle, but the poodle's owner hits Hank with her bag. Later, after a long day of shopping, Alfred opens the bag that Wallace is in. Wallace is walking around the back of the truck and yells out at four stray dogs who were walking around. The stray dogs are led by Buster, who is mostly German Shepherd, and his second-in-command a bulldog
named Muggs. Wallace insults the dogs and they go after him. At the same time the parade
begins. Buster says "go after that turkey
!" which is what he calls Wallace. Hank tries to protect Wallace. The four dogs begin to beat on Hank and he ends up in a huge amount of pain but he was still able to walk. Junior, Wallace's son, goes running out into the street and makes the horse
that pulls Santa Claus's sleigh jump. Hank meets face to face with Buster. The horse begins to jump every which way. And then Slim comes out and stops the horse from causing to much chaos, and saving Santa Claus. The stray dogs then run away. In the end they send Wallace off into the wilderness with his son, Junior.
Hank the Cowdog
Hank the Cowdog is series of humorous children's mystery novels, written by John R. Erickson and illustrated by Gerald L. Holmes.The series began in 1982 with a couple of short stories about the proud but bumbling Hank, the self-styled "Head of Ranch Security"...
book series.
Plot
It is Christmas Eve on the ranch on which Hank the Cowdog and his assistant, Drover, live. It starts off with them running to see a truckTruck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
that is coming down the road. Out comes the ranch-hand, Slim, and Slim puts down a package that Hank thinks is for him. Slim then trips over the local cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, Pete. In the end the package turns out to be for the ranch's owner, High Loper. High Loper then gives Slim the job of taking his son, Little Alfred, to the Christmas Parade in town. While driving to town, the turkey vulture
Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
, Wallace, suddenly goes flying through the windshield. Slim wants to leave him on the ground next to the road but Alfred wants to keep it, so they put Wallace in a bag and put it in the back of the truck. Once they reach town, Hank notices a little poodle
Poodle
The Poodle is a breed of dog. The poodle breed is found officially in toy, miniature, and standard sizes, with many coat colors. Originally bred as a type of water dog, the poodle is highly intelligent and skillful in many dog sports, including agility, obedience, tracking, and even herding...
making fun of him. He in the end scares the poodle, but the poodle's owner hits Hank with her bag. Later, after a long day of shopping, Alfred opens the bag that Wallace is in. Wallace is walking around the back of the truck and yells out at four stray dogs who were walking around. The stray dogs are led by Buster, who is mostly German Shepherd, and his second-in-command a bulldog
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
named Muggs. Wallace insults the dogs and they go after him. At the same time the parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
begins. Buster says "go after that turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
!" which is what he calls Wallace. Hank tries to protect Wallace. The four dogs begin to beat on Hank and he ends up in a huge amount of pain but he was still able to walk. Junior, Wallace's son, goes running out into the street and makes the horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
that pulls Santa Claus's sleigh jump. Hank meets face to face with Buster. The horse begins to jump every which way. And then Slim comes out and stops the horse from causing to much chaos, and saving Santa Claus. The stray dogs then run away. In the end they send Wallace off into the wilderness with his son, Junior.
Major Characters
- Hank- Head of Ranch Security
- Drover- Hank's assistant
- Slim Chance- Ranch Hand
- Alfred- five-year-old, son of Ranch Owner
- Wallace- old turkey vulture
- Buster- leader of the town stray-dogs, mostly German Shepherd, villain in book
- Muggs- bulldog, Buster's second-in-command, villain in book
- Other Two Stray Dogs- two other crossbreeds, villains in book
- Junior- turkey vulture, son of Wallace
Songs
- My Daddy Had a Wreck Today- Junior sings it after Wallace has his accident
- A Pox, a Pox on Emily Post- Wallace sings when he talks about his dislike for etiquette