A Place for Zero: A Math Adventure

by Angeline Sparagna LoPresti, Phyllis Hornung (Illustrator)

Overview

Join Zero on his math adventure as he discovers his place through multiplication. Zero is lonely in Digitaria. He can't play Addemup with the other numbers because he has nothing to add. All the other numbers seem to belong and they all have a place, but when zero discovers multiplication he thinks he might have a place there. He sets out to find King Multiplus who also is curious about what will happen when Zero gets thrown in the mix. With math and wordplay A Place for Zero is the perfect introduction to multiplication and number placement. A playful way to make math less intimidating and more fun to explore.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570911965
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	07/01/2003
Series:	Charlesbridge Math Adventures Series
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	141,706
Product dimensions:	8.56(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.13(d)
Lexile:	AD660L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

A native New Yorker, Angeline Sparagna LoPresti taught math to second through eighth graders for twenty-five years. Prior to her teaching career, she was a medical research assistant at the Department of Bacteriology at Cornell University Medical School. Now retired, Mrs. LoPresti occupies her leisure time with indoor gardening, reading, cooking, and photography.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2-3-This story about sad Zero, who "felt he had no place among the other digits," falls between the cracks in terms of finding an audience. In his search for meaning, he meets Count Infinity, King Multiplus, and Queen Addeleine. The lively, colorful cartoons of legged numbers would appeal to preschoolers or kindergartners, but the vocabulary, concepts, and puns ("Absolute nine-sense. It's two much!") are beyond their understanding. There are also a few confusing lessons, such as Zero's explanation that "When I stand in this place, next to my friend 1, as a zero I can represent zero 1s. But he now represents 9 + 1." Given the art, it's unfortunate that the author didn't stick with beginner-level math instead of proceeding to tackle multiplication and place values. As it stands, most readers will either be confused or feel patronized. Stick with Alexandra Wright's Alice in Pastaland (1997) or Cindy Neuschwander's "Sir Cumference" series (both Charlesbridge) for your math-story needs.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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