I'll Fix Anthony

by Judith Viorst

Mother says deep down in his heart. Anthony loves me. Anthony says deep down in his heart he thinks I stink.

Anthony's younger brother puts up with a lot. Every time he wants to play with Anthony and his friends, or even go into the playroom, Anthony starts to clobber him. There's nothing he can do now...but just wait until he's six!

Judith Viorst's fine, funny story, now available in a handsome new edition, will charm readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Relationships

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 1969

About the author

Judith Viorst is an American writer, newspaper journalist, and psychoanalysis researcher. She is known for her humorous observational poetry and for her children's literature. This includes The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (about the death of a pet) and the Alexander series of short picture books, which includes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1972), which has sold over two million copies.
Viorst is a 1952 graduate of the Newark College of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. In 1968, she signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. In the latter part of the 1970s, after two decades of writing for children and adults, Viorst turned to the study of Freudian psychology. In 1981, she became a research graduate at Washington Psychoanalytic Institute after six years of study.

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! Told from the perspective of the harassed younger brother who imagines all things he will be able to do once he turns 6. He relishes the thought of one-upping his older brother Anthony in everything. We liked this one lots!

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightfully mean-spirited book about sibling rivalry warms the cockles of my little brother heart. I'll fix Ralph and Ron.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who has a sibling will appreciate this book. It's about sibling rivalry, the constant love/hate relationship between siblings and how one is usually plotting revenge on the other. By the end of the book you learn these two brothers really do love each other even though they don't always like each other.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining, but also angry book about sibling rivalries. Younger children are often very jealous of the privileges and abilities of their older siblings and this story depicts this very clearly. The younger brother wants to do all of the things that his older brother, Anthony, can do and more. And he wants to do them better and faster.

In our family, our girls are fairly close in age and our youngest is actually faster and stronger than our oldest. So in many ways, this book rang a little to true for us. But overall, it's a good book to read aloud, especially with younger siblings. We've read many of Judith Viorst's books and I really enjoy her style of writing. Her books are so poignant, and sincere, and she often pulls no punches, even with sensitive and difficult topics. Her stories are usually filled with wit and wisdom, even those told from a child's perspective, like this one. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Sammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very cute book about a little boy who's older brother Anthony is always picking on him and bullying him. It would be good for kids to read about how bullying is not okay and how if you treat someone badly they may come back later in life to treat you that way. I liked this book a lot!

[Frances Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent story about warfare. and how to win

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll Fix Anthony is a story about a young boy whose older brother thinks he stinks. The older brother Anthony won't read to his younger brother or play games with him. Instead he chases him and tells him he'll clobber him. Most of the book is about the younger brother fantasizing how things will be different when he turns six. When the younger brother turns the magical age of 6 all the torment Anthony put him through will be fixed as he get revenge. Anthony will get the German measles, the mumps and get a virus while the younger brother will go to a baseball game, the flower shop, and the movies.

The front cover and the title page threw me off a bit at first. The blonde headed kid is doing all these mean things to the dark haired kid. At first I thought Anthony was the blonde kid. On the first page of the story I realized it was the other way around. Anthony has dark hair and the one fixing him has the blonde hair. I found it funny to read all the things the boy thought he would be able to do better than Anthony when he turns six. You can see how the boy values certain acts as better than other. On every page the boy thinks of things he can't do yet but someday will one-up his brother.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poor protagonist of this book has a nightmare for an older brother, and dreams about "fixing" him in lots of mean, but not terribly unpleasant for children, ways -- stuff like not letting Anthony ride in his airplane and so forth. I adored this book when I was a very little kid, probably because I had no siblings then, older or otherwise. Pictures are by the unbelievably fabulous Arnold Lobel, of Small Pig and Frog and Toad fame.

[Melissa Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story, 2 brothers do not have a good relationship. Through the whole book, one brother is trying to figure out ways him and his brother will differ. the endin of the book leaves you without them mending their relationship. I wasn't a big fan of this book. There was way too much repetitiveness. even though its a good representation of sibling rivalry, I dont feel its a good example of how to handle it.

[Lajune Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved dis book I thought it was so funny. This is a wonderful read for children who have older siblings who are giving them a hard time and aren't very nice to them. It could help make them feel better and be able to laugh and enjoy themselves again knowing that their siblings will not always act like that towards them. It also is good to read when introducing new literacy skills to young children.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved, loved these books! These books are funny and like any children's books there is a point to the story. I even read this to kids that I was babysitting and still got a kick out of the story. Judith Viorst really understands the dynamic of two brothers and captures it in a funny and poignant way.

[Jodi Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised how long the text was. The book makes a great point for siblings and families to recognize. Being the younger sibling is difficult, says my younger siblings and Judith Viorst. The book's copyright was 1969 and yet the illustrations and text were still engaging. I liked the large font.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll Fix Anthony is a funny account of one child's account of how he is going to be bigger, better, bolder than his older brother - when he turns six. As always Judith Viorst has captured that innocence of a child's perception and thoughts, this time around sibling rivalry. A great asset in my tool kit of books.

[Alison Durbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the books of Judith Viorst simply because her voice when writing is so dead on of a child. She does a great job in capturing the mind and spirit of her child protagonists. I think children will be able to relate to the character in this book real well, especially if they have siblings. I would use this book as a humorous read aloud.

[Lisa Macklem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully illustrated by Arnold Lobel. The story of younger brother plotting revenge on older brother Arnold for rejecting him when he reaches the grand old age of 6. Younger brother makes elaborate plans for how to get back at Anthony when he too reaches the exalted age of 6. Amusing, but a definite lesson to be learned for young readers too.

[Ashlin Edmisten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. Judith Viorst really gets kids and the relationships between siblings. As the oldest child, it was hard for me to really relate to what Anthony's younger brother was going through, but I got the gist. I mean, how cool would it be to show your stupid older brother up at every turn? Maybe when I'm six.

[HeavyReader]

I know I read this book years ago as a kid, but I hadn't thought about it in years, until I ran into it on GoodReads.

My dear friend and housemate is named Anthony, and now I must have a copy of this book so I can lovingly torment him.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

My older brother was pretty tough on me when I was a lil' pup, so of course my parents got me this book to cope. It reads like a murder fantasy, and yet the simplistic drawings manage to make the whole thing comical. Buy it for your youngest son to toughen him up.

[Asha Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The big borther/ little brother rival. Alex cant wait until he is 6 so he can do things better than his brother Anthony. Anthony is alwyas so mean to him so ALex is determined to become better at everything and then Anthony will be jealous of him!

[Alyce Dougan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book! I am the youngest of the family and growing up I always wanted to hang out with my big sister. I would recommend this picture book for young children in the classroom, but especially use it at home.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story that can relate to young readers about having a younger brother who just can't leave you alone. I like how he thought he could fix their differences. I like the story but not how they handled their differences.

[Drew Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sibling rivalry. Younger siblings can be a bother sometimes and this book shows that eventually they will grow out of their pestering stage. It also teaches older siblings to be patient with their younger siblings.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story for children with annoying siblings, which everyone should be able to relate to. This story could be used in many ways, from lessons to individual reading assignments. Would recommend to 2-4 grade.

[Erika Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet and funny story about an older brother who wants to "fix" his younger brother. Some of the things he comes up with to make Anthony better are hilarious. The book has neat, different illustrations. Nice book for young siblings!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Alexander book. Not my favorite but I love the characters so we read it anyway.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was alright. I enjoyed it. It had a lot of repition. I like to see that in books, but I didn't like the way that the book ended.

[Tim Hardin · Rating 2 out of 5]

realistic fiction. sibling rivalry. not real fond of this book however it has some good meanings in it. i just feel there are better books out there that deal and explain these situations better.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was about sibling rivalry. I feel students could relate to it because most of them have sisiters and brothers that get on their nerves.

[Kristina Arnold]

Little brother thinks that Anthony is mean and wants him to be nicer to him but he won't be able to do it until he is 6. A great book for struggling younger siblings.

[Vali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even as a kid I thought this book was disturbing. I actually felt bad for Anthony. I don't even know what else to say about it right now.