The Contests at Cowlick

by Richard Jerome Kennedy, Marc Simont (Illustrator)

Wally outwits a gang of outlaws and saves the town of Cowlick.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1975

About the author

Richard Jerome Kennedy (b. 1932) is an American children's book author.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of outlaws show up in town the day the sheriff has gone fishing, and everyone hides until one little boy steps up to challenge the desperadoes to what appear to be contests of speed and strength but are really steps in a battle of the wits.

Cute, clever, and concise.

[Brad H · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite children's book. My mom actually threw it away, but my excellent wife found another copy for me and now i have it, and won't let it go. The best part about this book is that the hero uses his thinking cap instead of the instinct of fear.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a very clever boy. Clever Beatrice was the same type of book. If you want to convey a message to think before you act, this is another great book for that.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gang of robbers hit town just when the sheriff and his men are off fishing. The grown ups all hide in fear, but one little boy comes up with a clever plan...

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a favorite book of mine and a favorite one I read to my kids. An outlaw comes to town to rob the bank and comes across a boy who stands up to him. Very funny and a lot of fun to read with a classic TV-Western accent. I wish they'd reprint this book, because it really is a gem!

[Lili · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty good

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story and art do not seem dated at all.

[H G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny story of a child against all the outlaws. He sure did outsmart them!

[Matt Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was digging around my parent's basement bookshelf a few years and was delighted to find this gem of a book that I only remembered in the most basic sense: kid is brave and outsmarts the bad guys. I was the only one of five kids to apparently read the book, so my parents had no problem with me claiming it as my own. This book instantly became a favorite of our house and is a special shared experience that "...No, only daddy reads!" Voices and roles come easily and make it a great oral experience. The kids love to recite along having memorized it long ago, even the little one before he began to learn to read.

The true power in the book, however is what it has to say about heroism. At the outset, the first step requires the physical bravery to step forward and say, "I am here." That risk, that accountability is mandatory, but the fact that the young hero uses intelligence, strategy, tactics, delayed gratification, and (apparent) humility to win the day is the lesson I subconsciously took to heart as a boy. I find that throughout my life, whenever I sat down to think of how I would ideally handle a challenging confrontation, it matched very closely to what Wally would do. Thanks, Mr Kennedy, I am sharing your book with my kids in the hopes that it will help form the basis of heroism for two more young minds. Plus, it makes them laugh.

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read-aloud about a clever little boy who tricks a gang of bad cowboys. It's a bit long, and the illustrations don't seem as if they are bold enough to hold a child's attention, but the story itself should be intriguing to kids.

ETA August 2020: I read this one to the big kids tonight and enjoyed it quite a bit more than I remembered the first time around. I still don't think the illustrations are all that compelling, though, considering my kids rarely have requested this

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny picture book from the 70s! Kids will love the tricks Wally plays on the gang of bandits who roll into his town while the sheriff is away fishing.