TRIXIE TEN
by Sarah Massini & illustrated by Sarah Massini
A simple tale about large-family appreciation gets cheery art that’s more conceptual than complex.
On the cover, the visual conceit stands front and center in the form of Trixie, whose oval-shaped body is made out of an enlarged fingerprint with all of its natural swirls and curves. “This is Trixie TEN. She has nine brothers and sisters.” The siblings all have fingerprint bodies, each in a signature color, each with unique, scribble-style hair (straight, curly, buzz cut, pigtails) and a trademark trait: “Wanda ONE is always sneezing,” “Felix FIVE laughs all the time,” and “Emily EIGHT has a runny nose but never, ever a Kleenex.” To Trixie, “they are all very annoying,” and at night—after they “count themselves in” to make sure everyone’s there—they’re “so noisy!” Away runs Trixie “in search of somewhere quiet.” The visual concept twinkles when Trixie meets 10 exuberantly loud fingerprint fish and, amusingly, some fingerprint bunnies with rather more siblings than 10. However, the arc is predictable—Trixie misses her family, and when they come to bring her home, she welcomes them with open arms—and the fingerprint-focused artwork varies composition but doesn’t offer any particular aesthetic depth.
Bland, though possibly useful to readers frustrated by a multitude of siblings.
(Picture book. 2-5)