Zero the Hero

Zero the Hero    by Joan Holub and Tom Lichtenheld    Published in 2012    32 pages


Finding an engaging math read aloud can be challenging. This book is cute, quirky, and it imparts information on the functions of zero in a fun way.

Zero feels left out and unimportant. Though he has a strong sense of self, he feels almost invisible when it comes to interacting with other numbers. They consider him useless when it come to adding and subtracting. Additionally, the other numbers see no point in dividing by zero. Zero gets teased and scorned as a result.

Things take a turn for the worse when the numbers learn how to multiply. Once they realized that being multiplied by zero would cause other numbers to disappear, they all ran away in terror. Forlorn, forsaken, and dejected, zero went away.

At first he was not missed. However, the other numbers began to realize the value of zero once they ran into complications in their math. As this realization dawned, the numbers were surrounded by a group of surly, belligerent, Roman numerals. Though the other numbers offer to make friends by teaching the Roman numerals mathematical operations, they are not interested. "Roman numerals don't do math, we just count.", is their retort.

Zero arrives just before the Roman numerals are about to mount a gladiator style attack. He saves the day by threatening to multiply the Roman numerals out of existence.

All is saved, and zero enjoys his new found respect and appreciation.