ZERO: The number That Almost Wasn't

 Zero. 

Nothing to it, right?

Actually, those of us who were raised on Schoolhouse Rock may already be humming

 "ZERO, MY HERO".

(If that's not running as an ear-worm for you right now, feel free to click it and hear the full Schoolhouse Rock story/song on Youtube.)

Which brings me to this remarkable picture book.The song celebrates ways zero helps "us", meaning everyone, in daily life, complex achievements, and more. What if ZERO had not become an essential part of modern calculations? If we had not developed algebra and calculus and complex algorithms that now form the foundations of our speedy calculators and AI programing. Or programing in general. Just imagine (but don't break your brain) all the zeros and ones that undergird what you are reading right now!

CHARLESBRIDGE, 2025

Join me in celebrating the story of how ZERO made its way into our lives. ZERO, THE NUMBER THAT ALMOST WASN'T is written by prolific nonfiction author Sarah Albee and illustrated by Chris Hsu. This lively account of ZERO's journey into our lives opens with reminders of how ubiquitous zero is- on its own or in use with other digits in our decimal numeration system. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone award you a check with six zeroes? If they are worth nothing, why would that get a bigger grin than  a check with only the initial numeral? I know i'd prefer $5,000,000 to $5, wouldn't you? Oh, those zeros pack a punch!

But the author doesn't begin with such extravagance. instead, we see the groundwork laid for pragmatic early human counting- with fingers, stick notches, pebbles, tied strings, and more. Throughout those processes and later in written counting, the concept of nothingness existed. It's how people knew to stop waiting for more sheep, to say that the six figs had all been eaten, to indicate an empty pouch that usually held stones. But NAMING such a concept took millennia. 

The progression of need and efforts unfolds so reasonably in this effective telling that even young readers will "get it". Illustrations are simply drawn and colored, keeping the story kid-friendly, but with volumes of information revealing time, place, cultures, class, and even subtle anchors in time. The illustrator note in back matter reveals intentional elements from research, including the breed of sheep pictured for that period, the recurrence of Haley's Comet or a solar eclipse in other periods, not to mention the accuracy of "incidentals" such a games played, clothing , foods, structures, etc. 

I always found Roman Numerals to be fun and challenging, although I knew others who hated them. They certainly did not deal with ZERO, but had calculation limitations and an awkward inefficiency as civilization grew. Full credit is given to the many ways in which mathematic specialists in Eastern cultures developed the concepts and symbols for ZERO, along with algorithms and strategies for working with large numbers. Trade throughout the near and far East allowed those ideas and processes to find welcome in many cultures. Despite the value and efficiency of ZERO's impact on thinking and economics, Europeans were unwilling to adopt any system other than ROMAN NUMERALS, even long after the fall of the Roman Empire. 

Once printing presses were developed, everyday people became literate in words and numbers, education extended deeper into the community, and Europe gradually saw the light, recognizing the beauty and simplicity of both the conceptual decimal system and its potential for representation in numerals, including ZERO. Back matter includes helpful and very readable elaboration from the author, a map indicating city and regional names referenced since ancient times, a "BLURRY" timeline, and an absolutely wonderful note by the illustrator revealing time-referenced Easter Eggs in various spreads.

I believe anyone and everyone should read this picture book, including older kids and full-on-adults. it is a perfect example of ways that picture books can convey powerful foundational information while entertaining and engaging readers. Give it a try and see if you agree.

Since I'm a bit of a math nerd  (and have been working on a story of my own involving ZERO) I was generally aware of ZERO's  path into our current number systems and symbols. I was both impressed and saddened to read about the very early use of a ZERO symbol by Mayans, insights that never moved beyond that time and place due to cultural destruction and attempted erasure by Spanish colonizers. Sadly, such may be happening for other cultures as I write this, leaving me to ponder what other kinds of beneficial information may never reach us. 

I AM THE SUBWAY: A Look at Lives Around Us

 This is a translation from the highly successful original Korean release. Translation is a greatly under-appreciated skill/talent, and this superb English version is a testament to that art.

SCRIBBLE, 2024

I AM THE SUBWAY is written in a the voice of the SUBWAY itself, reminding me of a Greek chorus. This allows the ubiquitous,  widely traveled  SUBWAY to reveal its deep engagement with its passengers. A small text on the opening endpaper reveals that, in total, Korea has the largest single subway system in the world, averaging 7.2 million travelers per day in the city alone. 

Kudos to the author/illustrator Kim Kyo-eun and translator Deborah Smith, as well as Melbourn-based publisher Scribble for making this terrific book available to English readers.

The frequently repeated onomatopoeia "ba-dum, ba-dum" suggests the continuous underfoot rhythm and becomes the heartbeat of the lives this system embraces within its walls and on its seats. Despite that vast experience with humans, SUBWAY is locked into its infrastructure. It can infer what lies beyond, but not experience it.

 The opening and closing of doors invites vignettes from the lives and voices of various passengers. Their emotions, engagements, and original locations are revealed in double page spreads that grant readers glimpses into family life, urban rush, seaside sustenance families, tiny shop owners, and many more circumstances. SUBWAY notices details, postures, expressions, and relationships among its passengers that reveal and connect to those wider experiences. 

This approach of giving voice to inanimate object as observer of daily life serves as mentor text for young writers whose points of view are inevitably first person. Even for early reader/writers, it could suggest an exercise of adopting the "eye" of an object in their bedroom, allowing it voice the observations and assumptions it would make,  imagining their lives based on what might happen before and observe after they enter the room. For older writers this is an ideal model of a novel approach to content reporting. Research and learning about regions/cultures might be reported via the voice of some form of transportation or an item that moves hand-to-hand throughout the day. On a simpler scale, a thorough discussion of point-of-view and voice can be structured around the vignettes and encompassing voice of SUBWAY.

The author is also the illustrator, and intertwines narrative (and narrative shifts) with effective language and visual variations to evoke the wide differences in the physical and experiential backgrounds beyond those sliding doors. Each is evocative of daily life and emotional journeys.Readers (and even little lap audiences) are provided complex and subtle details that invite the same degree of curiosity and conjecture that SUBWAY explores. The conclusion reminds us that each day SUBWAY (and we) encounter countless others who are both unknown to us and deeply knowable. The difference is the attention and respect we pay them. In addition, this is an open invitation to visit and learn about modern Korean culture. What a gift this book is to readers. 

Shining a Light on Global Connections

Millbrook Press/Lerner 2020

FLASH AND GLEAM: LIGHT IN OUR WORLD is a picture book/poem written by Sue Fliess and brilliantly illustrated by Khoa Le. Fliess is a prolific and masterful writer-in-rhyme whose extended poem incorporates light-inspired vocabulary in lines and phrases that feel as if they were born to land exactly where they are in the text. Le is the Vietnamese artist who seems to have discovered light-transferring tools while creating the glowing and sweeping art in these pages. 
The subtitle encompasses the important role and magic of light within our physical and social world within a global perspective. Four diverse families from four cultures and distant corners of the world experience light from sunrise to bedtime in ways that celebrate distinctions and the universality of family life. 
This is an exemplary case in which the art and book design effectively reveal and pace  many patterns and themes (daily routines, holidays, mundane and special family time) with color tones, moods, perspectives, and expressions portrayed in parallel narrow panels, powerful double-page spreads, facing images, and sequential revelations that draw audiences into each scene and relationship. 
The back matter offers a double-page spread with basic science information about light (incorporating key vocabulary and concepts) and information about the central role of light within various cultural celebrations. "Fun fact" bubbles are splashed across those two pages. Each fact featured could spark (see what I did there?) further investigation. 
This book is a fine example of one rich with language, images, and concepts that subtlety offers an appreciation of our universal human connections, for young people and for those who read to them.

Opinion is based on eBook edition viewed via publisher with no promise of a review.

Picture Book Series, Part 2 (Economics, History, Culture)

In a previous post I shared three of the five picture book titles in the    TRADE WINDS series by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
I wrote there:
The five titles in this collection are presented in picture book format and feature young characters in stories set during key periods in the history of global economics and culture.
Whew, that's a mouthful. 
As much as I advocate for using picture books across all ages, some intentionally instructive titles/series should be evaluated as academic tools rather than as picture books. 
That is NOT the case for the five titles in this set. Each could stand proudly on its own (and can be purchased separately). Each is a story featuring a young character whose narrative arc unfolds within a specific historic time and place. Each contains back page supplements, including a kid-friendly glossary and timeline, map anchors, and a few clarifying comments about the concepts presented, all of which are highly accessible to young readers. And each  is enhanced by elaborate illustrations that provide additional insights about the central concepts and cultures.

At this time in history, culture might be viewed as whatever meme last went viral, and economics can be seen as swipes of a card or chip or smartphone with little relationship to actual marketplace or economic principles.  We also live in a time in which wealth is amassed in inconceivable amounts and in fewer hands, making the money = power equation more relevant than ever before. Finding ways to anchor economic concepts within a broader global culture is a challenge, and these titles meet that challenge with engaging stories and helpful clarifications. 

The two remaining titles in this series convey important economic turning points in western history. GRANDFATHER WHISKER'S TABLE, written by Eun-jeong Jo and illustrated by Bimba Landmann, is another father-son story. In the mid-Renaissance era, Siena, Italy, emerged as the banking center of Europe. 

Enzo and his father visit to view the famous Palio de Siena horse race (which is still a thing!). Young Enzo is enthralled with the swirl of people, languages, and marketplace surprises, asking dozens of questions. He is particularly intrigued by Grandfather Whisker, who has settled on a bench in a marketplace stall with his strongbox. There he is saving, lending, and protecting valuables, exchanging currencies from around Europe, and recording each transaction in his book and providing receipts. (Did you know that BANK derives from the Italian word for bench?)
Enzo's story involves choosing a gift for a sibling, making a smart decision to ask the banker to hold it in safe keeping, then dealing with the dramatic loss of his receipt at the end of the race. The banker's lesson for Enzo is also valuable, and the specific banking vocabulary in back pages is still surprisingly current, even in our digital exchange era.
I found the illustrations to be evocative and I'm sure they will generate many curious questions from readers about the cultural patterns of that late medieval time: Complex buildings, walled neighborhoods, colorful clothing styles, heraldry, and more.

The latest period explored in this series is in LEATHER SHOE CHARLIE, written by Gyeong-hwa Kim and illustrated by Anna Balbusso and Elena Balbusso. The story opens in a small village in England during the Industrial Revolution. Charlie's grandfather is a master cobbler and the boy proudly sports his leather shoes throughout most of the book, earning his nickname and the title of the book. 
When his family (and most other families from small towns) moved to Manchester to work in the mills, readers are thrust into a 19th century mill town. Grimy tenement  housing looms throughout the pages, with Charlie's prized shoes soon offering the only vibrant color within the dull, suffocating images. Dangers and problems of child labor and unprotected industrial conditions are hinted at, with clarifying details developed in the back pages, including references to emerging labor organizations. 
One significant aspect of millwork forms the drama for Charlie's narrative. His mother develops a chronic and debilitating cough from the factory fibers and dust, but even with the whole family working they are not able to afford a tin of tea to sooth her throat. Charlie chooses to sacrifice his prized shoes to trade for tea. Even so, he can see a future in which he will leave the mills and train to be a cobbler like his grandfather. 

In both posts about the titles in this series, I've praised the informational content, the storytelling, and the scope and depth of the subjects and locations. When translating books from other languages, those qualities are not easy to accomplish. Credit goes to an author I deeply admire, JOY COWLEY, who served as editor for the series. She has a knack for writing in a down-to-earth yet creative and lyrical way, and her deft touch shines through in each book. It bears mention, too, that in each story there are aspects of kindness and generosity, family affection, and pursuit of learning. These elements make stories from long ago and far away feel relevant and recognizable to young readers.
I can't resist pointing out, and I hope young readers will notice as well, that the central characters are all males. Sadly, each culture and era portrayed was patriarchal. In that sense, the questions raised and comparisons made to gender equity in a modern world can lead to better understanding of how recently these changes have emerged and how many unfulfilled goals remain.
I hope that all of the above will give you reason to track down these books and give them a careful read. 

Full disclaimer here:  When My dad was a boy about Charlie's age his father died. That was during the depression, pre-social services safety net. He was the oldest son, so he worked with his cobbler uncle to earn enough money to feed his family. He handled deliveries and shop chores, but also learned enough of the trade to support his family throughout high school, repairing his classmates' shoes. As reluctant as I am to name favorites among any books, Leather Shoe Charlie has a special place in my heart. 

Eerdmans Books for Young readers provided a copy of the books in this set in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will donate this series to a local school and I recommend them to schools, libraries, and families. 

Some Educational Picture Books Worthy of a Second Look

Trade Winds is an educational series from Eerdman's Books for Young Readers. The five titles in the collection are presented in picture book format and feature young characters in stories set during key periods in the history of global economics and culture.
Whew, that's a mouthful. 
As much as I advocate for using picture books across all ages, some intentionally instructive titles/series should be evaluated as academic tools rather than as picture books. 

That is NOT the case for the five titles in this set. Each could stand proudly on its own (and can be purchased separately). Each is a story featuring a young character whose narrative arc unfolds within a specific historic time and place. Each contains back page supplements, including a kid-friendly glossary and timeline, map anchors, and a few clarifying comments about the concepts presented, all of which are highly accessible to young readers. And each  is enhanced by elaborate illustrations that provide additional insights about the central concepts and cultures.

I was intrigued by the subject matter- economics and culture with a world view. For kids growing up in a digital/swipe economy, one in which national and global policies are too often steered by massive corporate and individual fortunes, these are topics that deserve significant attention. I wondered if these would be books best used in the context of direct instruction and for older students, but my initial caution dissolved when I saw that the talented, prolific, and beloved author, JOY COWLEY, was the editor of all five books. I was confident that the stories would have both fluency and appeal. 
And I was right.

Three of the five titles will be reviewed here, with the remaining two titles considered in the next post. Each of the five can be read in any order and grouped/compared in various ways, but I chose to include in this post the three titles with non-European settings, stories that take place BCE (before the common era, or what we used to call BC). 

The earliest era portrayed is in THE WARLI PEOPLE, written by Hye-eun Shin and illustrated by Su-bi Jeong. It is the least story-based, in text. Instead, each double-page spread tells its story with a simple sentence, while the densely populated illustrations simulate the story/style of art and artifacts of the Warli People (from about ten centuries BCE). 
The core concept of this book is structured to reveal the many activities during the course of a year in an agricultural society in what is today coastal India. 
The Warli People had prospered into a complex agricultural civilization, one with an established and extended community structure: food production, recreation, specialized roles, social practices, and ceremonies. Most importantly, their secure economy allowed them to create a pictographic language using line art and geometric forms that are easily translated to imagine elaborate stories, rendering narrative text almost unnecessary. This book lays the groundwork for considering the cultural and economic concepts in subsequent titles. 
I can imagine readers of many ages poring over the elaborate visual narratives and telling/writing detailed stories of the events and characters pictured. Back content includes information revealing several Middle East civilizations that were comparably advanced during that era. 

The next story moves readers forward several centuries and many miles further north, depicting the SILK ROAD from eastern Asia (near modern Bejing) and extending across the desert and mountains to the Mediterranean Sea. 
FATHER'S ROAD, written by Ji-Yung Jang and illustrated by Tan Jun, follows a young boy on his first journey with his tradesman father. Wong Chung is old enough to begin his apprenticeship, learning the oddities, routines, and dangers of a camel caravan. His first person point of view and voice (directed to an imagined audience or perhaps a diary) draws readers into every aspect of what could otherwise be an alien experience. 
In the course of the book, Wong Chung enjoys spectacular views, surprising resources, and absorbs important lessons. He encounters bandits, a fierce sandstorm, and a chance to extend a helping hand. At the journey's end, the boy realizes that their destination, trading centers, are cosmopolitan intersections of people with varied languages, cultures, goods, and experiences from far-flung places, many he can't even imagine. 
For the youngest readers, this is a vibrant story that presents an adventure across global cultures and a vast time period. For older readers the story will intrigue, but the back matter provides a wealth of accessible content to expand understanding of the roots and relationships of global trade. 

In the previous books, exchanges involve bartering. At some point in our global economic history, "money" must come into play. LION, KING, and COIN, written by Jeong-hee Nam and illustrated by Lucia Sforza, shares, in story form, the origins of the first coins used in trade. In the sixth century BCE, in ancient Lydia (in present-day Turkey) Sardis was a large and prosperous village. The Pactolus River was also known as the Gold River because  
gold could be panned from it's sandy bottom. 
The young narrator, Laos, is the son and grandson of goldsmiths. Both smiths were renowned for their gold jewelry and other items. The boy describes the problems encountered on market day when a trader wished to purchase something, even something like a piece of fruit, but only had a large item, like an ox, to trade. 
In order to  improve transactions and to assure fair value during the trades, the king ordered that coins be minted. Each was stamped on the front with a lion emblem, a symbol of the king's authority. The back of the coins carried a special smith's mark, to prevent counterfeit coins. Various values were assigned based on the weight of gold in the coins. 

This charming narrative from the perspective of young Laos incorporates a story of King Midas to reflect a culture with oral traditions. The historic information is based on current archeological information about the first civilizations found to use minted coins. 
Once again, the back matter places this period in perspective with earlier and later periods, presents this village location in relation to the Silk Road, and explores precursors to traditional metal coins.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post about the two titles set in Europe in the modern era. Meanwhile, check out these titles and share links with educators and curious kids. There are far too few stories incorporating global history and economic basics. These books are very engaging and informative, making them a welcome addition to that limited pool of resources.


The five titles were originally written and published by Yeowon Media, Ltd. before being translated and published for an American audience by Eerdmans BYR. Copies of each book were provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Personal Favorites- in Artifacts and Fleischman Titles

I've been a fan of Paul Fleischman's work for years, and his recent release does not disappoint. 

Candlewick, March, 2013

I'll admit I was predisposed to like THE MATCHBOX DIARY, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, before ever reading it. Back in the sixties (the decade, not my age) I was attempting to personalize the decor of a furnished sublet apartment on a limited budget. 
Okay, on NO budget.
What I did have in my possession was a stack of advertising notecards which were miniaturized versions of Pan Am travel posters. (For the younger crowd, Pan Am was the classy world-wide airline of the time.) I gathered some loose change and bought a couple of "boxes of boxes" of matches. Friends who were known to bar-hop on weekends provided me with a stack of absorbent cardboard coasters. Thus equipped, I set about using the notecards to wrap four dozen matchboxes with images of world-class destinations, taking care to keep the sandpaper striking side untouched by glue.  I then applied those images to the flip side of each coaster. (It was the sixties- think MadMen. It was assumed that guests would smoke and drink.) 
To my mind a brandy snifter of international matchboxes next to a stack of poster/coasters was a first step in transforming a co-ed who didn't drink, smoke, or travel beyond the midwest into a more interesting character. 

The very suggestion that an illiterate Italian immigrant would salvage empty matchboxes to document his challenging but admirable life had me falling in love with this book before I even opened the cover. Once I did, things only got better. Then I read Fleischman's description of his lifelong love affair with boxes and watched his Matchbox Theater Video. I was a goner.

When it comes to Fleischman's other titles, I find myself surprisingly ready to state my favorite, which I'm so often reluctant to do for any given author's or illustrator's work. When  asked about favorites I find my mind instantly snaps to qualifiers: For what readers? For what purpose? In which format? This should certainly be the case for him,  as you can see here from the vast array of outstanding titles he has produced. The fact that this hasn't happened with Fleischman's work means that one of his books transcends my general high standards as "one of my favorites for ___" to stand alone as my unqualified favorite. Full Stop. 

Candlewick, 2002

Until now that title has been WESLANDIA, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. 
In this story Wes launches his summer vacation in his own backyard, equipped only with what he has learned in school, that the core of every enduring civilization is a staple food crop. That knowledge  in the hands of  a boy with insatiable curiosity and ingenious creativity needed only a summery night breeze to deposit a few seeds of unknown origin. An entire civilization takes root in his yard, extending  its reach into the hearts and minds of his bullying classmates and clueless parents. 

Candlewick,  2007

Fleischman and Hawkes again paired their talents for the fantastic SIDEWALK CIRCUS, with impressive and appealing results, yet WESLANDIA still had a lock on my heart.

Until now. 
Now I must fall back on qualifiers and hedging of one kind or another, because THE MATCHBOX DIARY has latched on to another piece of my heart. In WESLANDIA  the exuberance and vibrant abstractions in the images fully reflect Wes's blend of  nerdy schoolboy with super-hero resilience and brilliance.

 THE MATCHBOX DIARY's  muted tones, crumpled artifacts, and historic specificity reflect the fragile but durable experiences of great-grandfather's life, preserved in matchboxes collected over many decades. The fact that these two titles are so different in image, content, character and genre protect my heart from being severed like the baby in Solomon's court. Instead they lend themselves beautifully to different purposes and audiences, reflecting the remarkably versatile talent of their author.

Each stands on its own solid ground as fine literature and art. Each has unforgettable characters, setting, and plot. Each transcends target ages, offering something for everyone without diluting quality or story. And each is densely layered, offering potential for discussion, for curricular connections, and for links to personal experience. 

If Paul Fleischman's titles are not already on your shelves, add these two today, then explore the rich array of others he has to offer.