Trixie Ten

Lighthearted storytelling and a stylish layout redeem a predictable plot in this story of sibling frustration from British author/illustrator Massini (Oodles of Noodles). Trixie and her nine boisterous sisters and brothers are all thumbprints, each with an alliterative name, spindly appendages, a distinctive hairstyle, and a noisy habit: Wanda One sneezes, Thomas Two hiccups, and so on. Overwhelmed by the cacophony, Trixie runs away, taking with her “one useful flashlight, one useful teddy bear, [and] one useful blanket.” Her siblings’ idiosyncratic noise words (“Roar,” “Atchoo,” “Tee hee hee”) follow her in a cloud as she sets off. When the siblings discover at bedtime that she’s missing and set out to find her, a black-and-white ribbon of letters represents their progress under the stars, while their thumbprint bodies appear in murky shadow beneath. Trixie, who has, of course, missed their noise, returns home happily. “It’s just as noisy as usual. But that’s the way we are,” she thinks as she lies in her bed with earphones on. The cheery tone may not persuade every annoyed sibling out there, but it will make them smile. Ages 3–8. (Feb.)