We live in the era of superheros. You don’t think so? Ask your child. Kids know all about it. What’s interesting about superheroes is that they are often hidden in the most a-heroic-appearing creatures. Take the friendly Spiderman. Who would think that a nerdy Peter Parker would shoot webs all over Manhattan?
The same could be said about a little number, Zero. In the eyes of other numbers, Zero was nothing. They called him names, from fruit-loop to letter O. He was always left out in the counting games, because who counts with Zero? He was deemed useless in adding or subtracting. 2+0 =2 and if you take zero away from two nothing changes either. Zero was overshadowed by other numbers and even if he wanted to think about himself as a Hero, the multiplication tables were showing otherwise. Any number times Zero turns into… Zero. Only a villain would make his friends disappear! Feeling bad about himself, Zero decided to go away. At first, other numbers didn’t even noticed that Zero was gone. Until number 1 needed Zero to make 10. Zero was quite useful after all. Beyond useful, actually. When numbers got attacked by the Roman numerals, Zero’s powers to make things vanish made him a real superhero indeed…
Bright illustrations, lively writing filled with numeral puns and jokes, “Zero the Hero” is not only a great entertainment for any age, but also an engaging introduction to basic math and the exciting world of numbers. What’s more, the story also teaches our children an important life lesson. Believe in your talents and strengths, even if others don’t, and know your weaknesses, so you can turn them into superpowers.
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