ANTHONY AND SABRINA

by Ray Prather ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 24, 1973

Told entirely in dialogue in what might be described as Dick-and-Jane black English, the afternoon of two children whose mother takes them to visit Big Ma and Big Pa at their farm. The children bicker ("" 'Well, what are you waiting for?'/ 'For you to shut up.'/ 'Girl, one of these days I'm going to fix you good, you hear?' "") and wander ("" 'Let's go ride the mule.'/ 'No.'/ 'Let's milk the cow.'/ 'No.'/ 'Want to go climb the persimmon tree, Sabrina?'/ 'No, it's too high.'/ 'Want to go chase the chickens?'/ 'No.'/ 'Let's go wade in the pond.'/ 'Okay.' "") and Sabrina gets wet ("" 'I'm going to make you climb that persimmon tree anyway. And you're going to stay up there until you're dry.' ""), but back at the farmhouse: "" 'Well, what have my two sweet babies been doing today?'/ 'Hee, hee, just playing.' "" The incident is set in flat painted landscapes of light greens and browns; the stretches of land and the blank white pages both function as endlessly extending background, giving the scenes an air of drab desolation and making the uninflected, everyday conversation seem oddly remote as well.

Pub Date: Sept. 24, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1973

Categories: CHILDREN'S