Zero! the Number That Almost Wasn't

How did math work before zero existed? A STEM nonfiction book that unpacks a fascinating history of a number we can't imagine our current world without.

From place value to being created and destroyed before being created again, zero has had quite a journey. Respected children's author and consummate researcher Sarah Albee lays out the history of zero alongside the complications that initially hampered its development, including Western imperialism.

A riveting nonfiction kids book with a playful feel, Zero! unravels a complicated history in tremendous detail.

Author: Sarah Albee
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Published: 03/11/2025
Pages: 40
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.20h x 10.20w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781623544324


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/01/2025 pg. 68
School Library Journal 04/04/2025 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2025 pg. 105
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2025
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Sarah Albee is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 100 books for kids, including Troublemakers in Trousers and Accidental Archaeologists: True Stories of Unexpected Discoveries. Prior to being a full-time writer, Sarah worked at Children's Television Workshop (producers of Sesame Street) for nine years. She played basketball in college, and then a year of semiprofessional women's basketball in Cairo, Egypt. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Chris Hsu is incessantly inquisitive about and heavily influenced by history, art history, science, classical music, psychology, and sports. In addition to book illustration he is an animation background artist, having worked on animated series such as Archer and Hit-Monkey. He is based in the Southeast with his wife and two daughters. He is the illustrator of I Am Someone Else, The Boo-Boos That Changed the World, and Madame Speaker.