Zero the Hero

Written by Joan Holub

Narrated by L.J. Ganser

Award-winning children's author Joan Holub has penned over 70 books for young audiences in her decades-spanning career. In Zero the Hero, Holub offers a humorous and lighthearted look at one of math's most overlooked, yet essential, figures - the number zero. All the other numbers scoff at Zero's value, but as soon as one of them gets into trouble, guess who lands on the scene to save the day!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470348458

Joan Holub

Joan Holub has authored and/or illustrated over 140 children’s books, including the Goddess Girls series, the Heroes in Training series, the New York Times bestselling picture book Mighty Dads (illustrated by James Dean), and Little Red Writing (illustrated by Melissa Sweet). She lives in North Carolina and is online at JoanHolub.com.

Reviews for Zero the Hero

[pataustin_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At first, Zero believes he is a hero but the counting numbers, one to nine, prove otherwise. Personified numerals with whimsical asides and humorous banter in speech bubbles give readers much to think about: the way people behave and the way numbers behave. Add 0 to one, “Still the one,” quips 1. Same difference with subtraction. When Zero shares the multiplication rule that any number times zero is zero, the other numbers high tail it. That makes Zero realize he’s not a hero: who would scare off would-be friends? “His confidence shaken,” he heads for “infinity or oblivion” whichever comes first. Only then do the counting numbers realize that they can’t add up to much without Zero. When Roman numerals invade and threaten a takeover, Zero reappears and vanquishes them. Zero is indeed a hero – in everyone’s eyes. With visual puns, heroes and villains, the stuff of high drama, and math rules to boot, this clever picture book rates a ten (only possible with zero, of course). Turn this text into reader’s theater for a delightful exploration of the value of zero.

[krystalkeroack · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This counting book was really neat. It exposes children to roman numerals, and their correlating standard number. I like Zero as the main character because he shows children that you are special, and you are meant for something.

[rosa.mill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book that teaches all about zero and not overlooking your friends and being different. Love the illustrations and tiny little illustrations for the reader to spot. Cute and a lot of fun.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This hilarious children's book concerns the number zero and how he wants to be a hero but instead feels like nothing. When it comes to counting games, addition, division, etc., he is always left out and made to feel less important than the "real" numbers 1-9. After he takes off, his number pals start to realize how important he is and how much they miss him. When they are taken captive by roman numerals, it's Zero's chance to prove himself a hero.This book is so very clever, with tons of humor in the main text as well as the quotes from the numbers and tiny sidebar notes. The arrival of the roman numerals floored me with laughter. Under all this humor is an important lesson about how everyone contributes to a community and can be a hero in the right circumstances. The cartoonish-style illustrations fit well with the superhero theme and the silly tone of the book. The only downside to this book is that I think it appeals to older kids who will get the math jokes but who might feel too big to still read picture books.

[matthewbloome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a neglected number finding his worth in the tmie when he is finally needed most is both heartwarming and funny. There is so much sidebar-style humor that I was laughing throughout. Very nicely done.

[scottid-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Zero is a lonely number and felt unneeded with addition, subtraction and division. With multiplication, other numbers were afraid of him. He ran away. The other numbers realized they needed him for doing problems. Roman numerals tried to take over but zero demonstrated his multiplication power and they ran away. Zero realizes his worth.

[maryettaj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was about Zero wanted to be a hero. The other numbers thought he was useless. Zero was sad and he left. One day the roman numerals came to attack the numbers. Zero heard his friends calling for help. He save his friends and the realized that he was a true hero.

[tamarasmith_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a funny book about the number zero. Zero doesn't feel important and the other numbers don't value his importance either. The numbers are afraid of zero when they find out they disappear when multiplied by zero. Zero runs away and the numbers begin to realize that he is necessary. This is a great book for teaching multiplication with zero.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Those other numbers have got nothing on Zero!

[amoore1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Zero does not seem to quite fit in with his numerical pals. He feels left out because he cannot be counted, he is often mistaken for a donut, and he hardly is of any importance in most equations. Eventually, Zero and his friends regretfully discover that any number times zero equals zero. This terrifies Zero’s buddies and he is uncompromisingly shunned. In a later battle against Roman Numerals Zero finally fulfills his aspiration of becoming a hero by using this feared power to defeat the enemy. Needless to say, Zero became full of happiness and his characteristics gained a great respect among his buddies. The delightful illustrations and dialogue are what really convey the personality of each number, which helps create a relationship between the readers and the characters. Zero the Hero, as literature has a fantastic and relatable theme and it can also be a wonderful tool for introducing the number zero’s properties in mathematics.