{"id":8766756520173,"title":"Zero!","handle":"zero","description":"\u003ch1\u003eZero!\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Number That Almost Wasn't\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/sarah-albee\"\u003eSarah Albee\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/chris-hsu\"\u003eChris Hsu\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow did math work before zero existed?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eZero has had quite a journey. Symbols for \"nothing\" and supporting concepts like place value were created, abandoned, and recreated over thousands of years across the globe. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA riveting nonfiction kids book with a playful feel, \u003cem\u003eZero!\u003c\/em\u003e unravels a complicated history in thrilling detail. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/a-place-for-zero\"\u003eA Place for Zero\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/all-about-nothing\"\u003eAll About Nothing\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[TABS]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/zero-spread.jpg?v=1721057823\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-shape=\"round\" defer async=\"\" type=\"text\/javascript\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"medium-cover\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/zero-cover.jpg?v=1721057824\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/zero-cover-hires.jpg.zip?v=1721057825\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarah Albee, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSarah Albee is the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of more than 100 books for kids, including \u003cem\u003eTroublemakers in Trousers\u003c\/em\u003e and\u003cem\u003e Accidental Archaeologists: True Stories of Unexpected Discoveries.\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/sarah-albee\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Sarah.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChris Hsu, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Chris 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 \u003cem\u003eArcher\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHit-Monkey\u003c\/em\u003e.  He is based in the Southeast with his wife and two daughters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/chris-hsu\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Chris.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/star-fade.gif?4673889858015672850\"\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist,\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eChildren's Literature\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-62354-432-4\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 7–10\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 40\u003cbr\u003e10 x 8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication date: March 11, 2025\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[\/TABS]\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2024-09-27T11:39:39-04:00","created_at":"2024-07-18T13:21:19-04:00","vendor":"Charlesbridge","type":"Children's Book","tags":["Browse by Age_Ages 6-10","Browse by Fiction\/Nonfiction_Nonfiction","Browse by Format_Picture Book","Browse by Language_English","Browse by Subject_History \u0026 Biography","Browse by Subject_Math \u0026 Counting"],"price":1799,"price_min":1799,"price_max":1799,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":46713344393453,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"44324","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Zero!","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":1799,"weight":567,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_quantity":10,"inventory_management":"shopify","inventory_policy":"continue","barcode":"9781623544324","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/zero-cover.jpg?v=1721057824"],"featured_image":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/zero-cover.jpg?v=1721057824","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":33758532206829,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.242,"height":483,"width":600,"src":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/zero-cover.jpg?v=1721057824"},"aspect_ratio":1.242,"height":483,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/zero-cover.jpg?v=1721057824","width":600}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003ch1\u003eZero!\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Number That Almost Wasn't\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/sarah-albee\"\u003eSarah Albee\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/chris-hsu\"\u003eChris Hsu\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow did math work before zero existed?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eZero has had quite a journey. Symbols for \"nothing\" and supporting concepts like place value were created, abandoned, and recreated over thousands of years across the globe. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA riveting nonfiction kids book with a playful feel, \u003cem\u003eZero!\u003c\/em\u003e unravels a complicated history in thrilling detail. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/a-place-for-zero\"\u003eA Place for Zero\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/all-about-nothing\"\u003eAll About Nothing\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[TABS]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/zero-spread.jpg?v=1721057823\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-shape=\"round\" defer async=\"\" type=\"text\/javascript\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"medium-cover\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/zero-cover.jpg?v=1721057824\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/zero-cover-hires.jpg.zip?v=1721057825\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarah Albee, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSarah Albee is the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of more than 100 books for kids, including \u003cem\u003eTroublemakers in Trousers\u003c\/em\u003e and\u003cem\u003e Accidental Archaeologists: True Stories of Unexpected Discoveries.\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/sarah-albee\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Sarah.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChris Hsu, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Chris 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 \u003cem\u003eArcher\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHit-Monkey\u003c\/em\u003e.  He is based in the Southeast with his wife and two daughters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/chris-hsu\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Chris.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/star-fade.gif?4673889858015672850\"\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist,\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eChildren's Literature\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEveryone 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-62354-432-4\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 7–10\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 40\u003cbr\u003e10 x 8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication date: March 11, 2025\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[\/TABS]\u003c\/p\u003e"}