CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn't
CCBC Review:
Zero, “a number that means nothing,” has great meaning in the world of mathematics, but as a numeral, zero “had to be invented.” This informational text takes the reader on a crash course through the history of zero, beginning with early humans who counted with the help of objects and moving on to various civilizations’ mathematical developments. Babylonians, for instance, created place value, including a symbol to represent an empty value (as in the number 309). (The Maya people used a symbol for zero, too, but their records were mostly destroyed.) It was an unknown Indian mathematician who created the first zero that was introduced to others via trade routes; when the information reached Persia, a man named al-Khwarizmi wrote a book about the Indo-Arabic numerals that we know and use today. Interestingly, though perhaps not surprisingly, it took some time for Europe to embrace this number system, which they considered foreign and suspect. With the adoption of these numerals over time, though, mathematics flourished, and “new fields of knowledge opened up.” With occasional helpful diagrams to illustrate concepts, this book of math history is digestible and enlightening. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Chris Hsu
CCBC Age Recommendation: 7-10
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Creativity
Math (Concept)
Math and Mathematicians
On CCBC Booklist:
Picture Books for Older Children and Teens: Never Too Old
Publisher:
Charlesbridge
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9781623544324
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 513 Albee
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.