Zero the Hero

by Joan Holub and Tom Lichtenheld

Zero has dreams of being a hero and is looking for a chance to prove himself. But... read more

Zero has dreams of being a hero and is looking for a chance to prove himself. But none of the other numbers want anything to do with him—he’s nothing after all. Add or subtract by zero and it’s as if he’s not even there. Then the numbers discover that if they multiply themselves by zero, they disappear. “Fearing extinction, the others ran from him. Who could blame them?” Zero slinks off in shame, his dreams of being a hero dashed. Then the counting numbers are conquered by Roman numerals. Luckily, Zero hears their cries for help. All it takes is a brief demonstration of the power of zero as multiplier for the Roman numerals to run away in fear. “You were ONEderful!” “High 5!” “3 cheers!” “4 he’s a jolly good fellow!” Joan Holub’s text and Tom Lichtenheld’s illustrations pair seamlessly in a hilarious picture book with countless puns and abundant mathematical humor. (Ages 7–10)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2013

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