How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
During spring vacation our family split down the middle. Dad took Ted and headed east to visit his old mother, while Mama took me and drove south to be with hers. (1.295)
Which is to say, took him to the house of horrors. We know as soon as he gets in the car with his scowling mother that we're about to meet the scary people who spawned her.
Quote #5
As evening came on, the air began to cool, the land began to roll, and Mama—usually so sternly silent—began to talk. She told me her family stories. (1.302)
There's some really brilliant exposition happening here. Small shows us the characters we're about to meet by having his mom talk about them on the trip down to visit them. He also changes the drawing style as he changes the time period—when talking about his grandparents and great-grandparents, the images become simpler, and the people are depicted as old-timey cartoon characters.
Quote #6
"Loretta's husband He hadda stroke 'n died three days later. Georgette got married last December. That neighbor girl, Nancy Jean? She got preggnid outta wedlaw but then she lost the baby." (1.252)
The way Small writes his grandmother's Southern-accented gossip reveals a keen ear for dialogue. "Preggnid" means "pregnant;" "wedlaw" means "wedlock."