The concept of Zero Zebras: A Counting Book about What’s Not There at first was off putting and I expected something to happen that eventually, never did.
Bruce Goldstone starts with the usual counting format. Therefore, the idea of 5 foxes or 10 tigers is not new, and even zero zebras is not a new concept. However, one most likely will assumes that by the end you will have a menagerie of animals and then the narrator will say, oh one zebra or 100 zebras finally showed up. You expect something in the “number category” to end this picture book. Yet, this is a book that is about zero.
It is a concept math book to help you try and understand the concept of nothing. It is a book about nothing. It is about infinity. It is about the number that is forgotten. It is about the number that is seemingly unimportant, yet without it how would we explain what is not there? It is a high concept idea for the slightly older crowd. It would probably be best in a classroom setting. It is not your parents’ math book; nut it is something you need to check out.
And you need to check out Julien Chung and their illustrations. The art is basic, with few details. This simplistic approach I feel helps you to concentrate on the “Zero Principal” even though that is only introduced at the beginning of the end of the story. They are colorful, but not necessarily with a WOW best ever book feeling. The part that is fun is that when you are on the fox page you will then go to the next page, or the Six Page and find that new thing introduced, while the fox is hiding someplace on this new page. That continuation idea was fun, and this connectedness was clever.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, even though I am not sure it was a book I loved. I do know it is something that should be looked at, find your right reader, and then go from there kind of book.