Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn't

Praise

♦ This cheerful picture book tells the story of how it took thousands of years for humans to realize that something was missing: a zero! It explains why it was so difficult to imagine something that actually meant nothing and documents how this emerging concept of nothingness fared in various civilizations around the world, taking several centuries to finally catch on. From the ancient Babylonians, the first to assign place values and realize that they needed a symbol showing nothing in this position, to Brahmagupta, a mathematician from India who wrote in Sanskrit to explain the significance of the numbers zero through nine, the plot follows the development of increasingly more complex math applications, from algebra (Persia) to calculating (Fibonacci) to calculus (Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz). The book mentions initial European resistance, including how a few Christian leaders actually banished zero, until the invention of the printing press helped spread the concept and led to innovations in physics, engineering, electronics, and computers. Appealing digital drawings and rich back matter (uses of zero in everyday language, definitions, a time line, references, a bibliography, and a key to historical clues found in the illustrations) help round out this unique and attractive STEM offering.
—Booklist, starred review


Everyone understands what it means to have nothing, but readers may be surprised to discover that zero as a mathematical concept is fairly recent. Albee charts the development of this revolutionary concept from the Babylonian introduction of placeholders to zero’s influence on calculus and modern fields of knowledge from physics to computer science. An important aspect of the narrative is the fundamental contributions of nonwestern cultures such as the Mayan and Arabic cultures. Abee also shares roadblocks to the zero’s acceptance, such as European Christian leaders who banished it, arguing that something that represented nothing must be “the work of the devil.” Hsu’s playful illustrations feature a cartoon personification of zero who not only observes its development, but sometimes takes an active role, such as standing next to the great Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizimi as he introduces the concept to fellow Persians. Back matter includes information about other words for zero, number systems, and the terminology; a brief bibliography; detailed timeline; and some fun notes on the illustrations. This is an excellent addition to books on math history and concepts.
—Children’s Literature