The Flimflam Man

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!

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.

"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