Zero the Hero

Zero the Hero is a picture book about a number who feels worthless. Zero, zip, zilch, nada, that is what the other numbers call him. He adds nothing in addition, he is no use in division, and in multiplication everything he touches disappears with a poof. Convinced that the counting numbers are wrong about him, Zero leaves, and the other numerals have to manage on their own. When they get into trouble with a set of Roman numerals, only Zero's particular talents can rescue them, and he returns to prove that his value is far from nothing. Joan Holub's text and Tom Lichtenheld's comic, speech-balloon-filled illustrations turn a lesson about place value and the properties of zero into a story about friendship and self-worth, and the book is often used for read-alouds and simple reader's theatre in the early grades.