Synopses & Reviews
On a scorching July day in 1950, a fabulous fat man drives into Wetumka, Oklahoma. F. Bam Morrison is selling tickets to Bohn's United Circus Shows, and the townspeople are buying--all, that is, except ol' man Swank, who says F. Bam Morrison is a two-faced weasel. Smitten with Morrison, ten-year-old Bobbie Jo Hailey--and mean Clara Jean Knox, whom she befriends--unwittingly joins the effort to bamboozle Wetumka. When Bobbie Jo realizes her mistake, Morrison is on his way out of town, leaving her disappointed but intact--and greatly enriched by her relationship with the flimflam man. Lovingly illustrated by Eileen Christelow, Darleen Bailey Beard's delightful story is based on a real episode in Wetumka's history, still celebrated annually as Sucker Day!
Review
"Beard's story is full of nostalgic American fun and lively characters. Bobby Jo is especially appealing."--
Booklist"A plain good yarn."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Based on the actual 1950 event that spawned the Wetumka, Oklahoma, annual Sucker Day Festival, this chapter book tells a rousing good tale of old-fashioned con-artistry. Ten-year-old Bobbie Jo Hailey is the first in town to meet smooth-talking stranger F. Bam Morrison, and the first to fall for his tall tale of an amazing traveling circus....Numerous lighthearted illustrations depict the gullible townspeople and the ultimately harmless trickster."--The Horn Book
Review
"Beard's story is full of nostalgic American fun and lively characters. Bobby Jo is especially appealing."--
Booklist"A plain good yarn."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Based on the actual 1950 event that spawned the Wetumka, Oklahoma, annual Sucker Day Festival, this chapter book tells a rousing good tale of old-fashioned con-artistry. Ten-year-old Bobbie Jo Hailey is the first in town to meet smooth-talking stranger F. Bam Morrison, and the first to fall for his tall tale of an amazing traveling circus....Numerous lighthearted illustrations depict the gullible townspeople and the ultimately harmless trickster."--The Horn Book
About the Author
Darleen Bailey Beard, author of
Twister and
The Babbs Switch Story, lives in Tuttle, Oklahoma.
Eileen Christelow has written and/or illustrated many books for children. She lives in Dummerston, Vermont.