Zero the Hero [Hardcover]

Joan Holub (Author), Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: February 28, 2012 | Age Range: 6 - 10 years | Lexile Measure: 450L (What's this?)

Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. That’s what all the other numbers think of Zero. He doesn’t add anything in addition. He’s of no use in division. And don’t even ask what he does in multiplication. (Hint: Poof!) But Zero knows he’s worth a lot, and when the other numbers get into trouble, he swoops in to prove that his talents are innumerable.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…cartoon energy and amusing visual asides, this story does for numbers what Laurie Keller did for states…”--Booklist

 

“This tale not only reinforces mathematical principles, but also has a great message about friendship and personal feelings. It can be read aloud, alone, or performed as reader’s theater.”--School Library Journal

 

“Read this aloud to whet the new reader’s appetite, but there is just so much to see that only a slow reading, with a magnifying glass in hand, will do.”--Horn Book Magazine

 

“…features walking, talking written characters (digits, in this case, rather than letters), accompanied by Lichtenheld’s snappy, cartoon-style art.” --Publishers Weekly

 

"A hero and some villains and good winning over evil (oh, and all that educational stuff, too), all wrapped in humor and tied with a comic bow—what could be better?" --Kirkus Reviews

From the Author

Zero the Hero grew out of a visit I made to a classroom. The teacher was using the Zero the Hero concept to teach place-holding to her students. In other words, Zero is a hero because he enables us to count beyond the number nine. Without him, we'd be like the ancient Romans, unable to do much in the way of math.

I immediately visualized Zero as an underdog math superhero, complete with cape. But it took me years to actually finish writing this book about him. Lucky thing, because the timing was perfect. The manuscript hit my editor's desk just as she was working with a wonderful, bestselling artist named Tom Lichtenheld, who agreed to illustrate it.

Zero the Hero subtly teaches place-holding and arithmetic operations like addition and subtraction. It touches on stuff like rounding up and down, even and odd numbers--and the fact that the number eight looks like a snowman. But all of that is secondary. I just hope it's a fun story that you and your family or students enjoy!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 - 10 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (February 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805093842
• ISBN-13: 978-0805093841
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 11.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #491,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent introduction to the mathematical concept of zero that will excite young children! February 28, 2012

By D. Fowler TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Zero stood proud and tall on a step stool with several other numbers on either side of him and announced, "From now on, call me ZERO the HERO!" Yeah, right. They looked at him in his crazy superhero getup, rolled their eyes and poked fun of him. Seriously, what was this guy thinking? All the other numbers had a special purpose, but Zero really didn't seem to fit in or play their games because he wasn't a counting number. Everyone knows that there are one little, two little, three little Indians allllll the way up to ten, but who ever heard of zero little Indians?

All the other numbers felt that Zero was so useless he'd never be able to play with them and number five declared, "Well, tough noogies. He's not a counting number so he can't play." When he tagged along with number one, he could be a ten, but sometimes Zero was mistaken for a donut (with sprinkles no less!). When Zero was added to or subtracted from any other number they stayed the same. Division made him look like a dud. Multiplication scared `em all away because everyone knows what happens when you multiply a number by zero. Nothing, nada, zilch ... zero. How could Zero (who wasn't looking quite like a hero) possibly show everyone just how special he really was?

This is an excellent introduction to the mathematical concept of zero that will excite young children. Zero the Hero is a fun and fabulous way to introduce children to the many uses zero has in mathematics. Each page comes alive with Tom Lichtenheld's vibrant artwork as the numbers talk to one another. In these pages we learn about several concepts emphasizing the importance of the zero and are briefly introduced to Roman numerals. The picture book format is more welcoming to many children and these concepts will create the foundation for several concepts, including the fact that zero is used as a placeholder. Undoubtedly, several activities can be created using this book as a stepping stone. This would be an excellent addition to any homeschool or classroom shelf!

This book courtesy of the publisher.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My Son Loves This Book April 17, 2012

By Book Worm Mom

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My son (a kindergartener) loves this book, even though I doubt he understands how clever it is. He loves the illustrations and the comic-strip like conversations between the numbers. It is a very clever book that I'm sure older kids, who would catch on to the story better, would absolutely love. Okay, I admit...I love the book too.

4.0 out of 5 stars only ONE page of Zero as a placeholder May 20, 2013

By M. Heiss

Format:Hardcover

This is a fun story; kids love it.

The book works for how adding zero gets you the original number; subtracting zero gets you the original number, and dividing by zero is impossible. However, multiplying by zero gets you ZERO! ANd then all the friends shun him. And then Roman Numerals come take the numbers captive.

But the REAL value of zero is not in multiplication; it is in zero as a placeholder. Not enough of that.