Zero Zebras by Bruce Goldstone illustrated by Julien Chung

Subtitle: A counting book about what's not there

Zero is such an abstract concept for all of us but especially for very young children. This book is such fun. On each page there are things to count in a sequence of one to twelve but you are also invited to notice there are zero zebras on every page. 

Think about the choices of things to count: One wallaby; two tuna; three thrushes; four frogs; five foxes and so on with spiders, seals, elephants, newts, tigers; llamas and turtles BUT of course there are zero zebras. Simple alliteration gives this book a lighthearted-feel and your youngest students are sure to keep hunting for those elusive zebras. 

The back of this book has a wonderful explanation by the author written for adult readers:

"Zero is a big nothing. Do you skip past zero when you start to count? Almost everybody does: 1, 2, 3, and more but zero is always there first. ... Think about an empty box. What isn't inside? There are no shoes and no shirts. No books and no pencils."

A counting book cleverly designed to raise awareness about nothing. Kirkus Star review

Montreal artist Julien Chung’s brightly coloured digital illustrations have a bold, eye-catching graphic design. Eagle-eyed counters will spot the numerals 1 through 12 blending into the background scenes. For example, the numeral 3 floats like a cloud in the sky; the numeral 7 is caught in a spider’s web; and the tricky-to-find numeral 8 appears in a spotlight’s glow. There are many subtle connections between the scenes. Animals featured on one page can be found making a cameo appearance in the following spread. There are no zebras to be found in the scenes, but there are lots of stripes, from the angular blades of grass, to the black and white design swim trunks on a jumping frog. Candian Review of Materials

Montreal artist Julien Chung’s brightly coloured digital illustrations have a bold, eye-catching graphic design. Eagle-eyed counters will spot the numerals 1 through 12 blending into the background scenes. For example, the numeral 3 floats like a cloud in the sky; the numeral 7 is caught in a spider’s web; and the tricky-to-find numeral 8 appears in a spotlight’s glow. There are many subtle connections between the scenes. Animals featured on one page can be found making a cameo appearance in the following spread. There are no zebras to be found in the scenes, but there are lots of stripes, from the angular blades of grass, to the black and white design swim trunks on a jumping frog.

Publisher blurb: Discover the importance of counting what’s there and what’s not there in this brilliant picture book that combines math, imagination, and creativity! Zero Zebras asks a bold question: can you count what isn’t there? Can you count — to zero? Bruce Goldstone takes us on a wild animal safari counting one wallaby, two tuna, three thrushes, four frogs — but absolutely ZERO zebras. Readers will realize the infinite possibilities of counting what is and isn’t on the page. Goldstone’s imaginative and creative text is brought to life by Chung’s vibrant illustrations which include hidden numbers beautifully integrated into each stunning scene for fun some hide-and-seek. This is the perfect introduction to the concept of zero and infinity, showcasing the profound wonder of numbers in a playful, dazzling picture book that will wow readers of every age!

The library where I volunteer and borrow books carefully record the price of each book they purchase on one side of the imprint page. They record date of purchase, supplier and cost. I always like to look at this to see how long a book has been in their collection and also to see what they paid. The Teacher-Librarian must have really wanted this book because she paid an eye-watering AUS$50. I have found this book with some Australian online booksellers for less than AUS$35.

Zero Zebras won the Mathical Book Award in 2023.  If you are looking to add some exemplary picture books and other books that explore maths concepts these lists should be your first source.

Mathical selects, promotes, and distributes math-inspiring fiction and nonfiction for children ages 2-18. Proposed titles are submitted annually by publishers and the public. Many hands help select the books, including language arts and math teachers, librarians, early childhood experts, and more.

If you share this book with a group of older students they could use the format as a writing model and write their own picture book to share with children in Kindergarten or at a local preschool. 

You can see other books by Bruce Goldstone here. I previously talked about this book illustrated by Canadian illustrator Julien Chung. He lives in Montreal:

365 How to Count a Year

Where have the Unicorns Gone? by Jane Yolen illustrated by Ruth Sanderson

"In the moment that separates nighttime and dawn,

The instant of daydream that's here and then gone,

You might see the toss of a mane or a horn

And the wavery shape of escape unicorn

In that watery eden, the sea."

I picked up this book at a recent charity book sale. It was published in 2003 but when I checked an online bookseller it seems it might still be available. This is a book I would most certainly add to my Senior Picture book collection for readers aged 10+ mainly because this book is filled with the most sophisticated words:

haven; golding glades; routed by gouts of iron-red flames; gouged from hillsides; clacketing mills; catacombed hills; cataphonetics of city and town; noxious smog; wee wisplets of fog; and contrails of rockets.

This book is also begging to be read aloud. And think about that word cataphonetics! It would be fabulous to put this book into the hands of a talented and passionate teacher of Grade 6 or 7 or 8. 

The illustrations by Ruth Sanderson are so rich. They perfectly depict all the environments where unicorns once roamed freely. This book is a perfect example of the way words and illustrations should work together. Read more about Ruth Sanderson who was born in 1951 here. I found a 2016 interview with Ruth Sanderson where she talks about her art and processes. 

"Where have the unicorns gone?

They have scattered far from the noxious smog,

Wrapping themselves in wee wisplets of fog;

Leaving the iron-sharp city-straight scapes,

Fleeing in greying and tatter moon capes,

Away from the scenting of fire and fume."

Bookseller blurb: Long ago unicorns lived in a haven of sun-dappled glades and flower-filled dells. But as civilization spread over the ages -- with its fierce knights, its chugging trains, its thick smogs -- unicorns had to find a new sanctuary. But where? Jane Yolen finds a magical answer in the traditional unicorn myth. Her rhythmic, rhymed text is irresistible to read aloud. And Ruth Sanderson's brilliant artwork gives unicorns a bold reality in everything from ancient cave paintings to their secret, present-day home. After reading this tribute to the mystical, mysterious unicorn, children will enjoy looking for these elusive creatures in the world around them.

Jane Yolen talks about her book here on her web page. Click on the name Jane Yolen at the bottom of this post to see other books I have mentioned on this blog. 

If you are talking to your class about alliteration just look at these examples:

• dimity bells
• golding glades
• shadows shift in silver shades
• (the) perfect peace of ponds
• (the) ribbon-rolled river
• webbings of wires
• silken and swift and silver and streak

"They have galloped away, never looking around,

To wade in the perfect peace of ponds."

Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar by Emily MacKenzie

 

"Ralfy dreamed about books. In fact he didn't just dream about them ... he wanted to read all the time."

Adults will adore Ralfy's book list with titles such as:

• Around the field in 80 days
• The Secret Vegetable Garden
• The 39 Lettuces
• The Hoppit
• Warren Peas 
• Gone with the Carrots
• The Rabbit, the Fox and the Wardrobe

"He made lists of all the books he had read (and gave them carrot ratings). He made lists of all the books he wanted to read (and placed them in category order). He even made lists of books to recommend to his family and friends."

Now go back and re-read the book title - Wanted!  Yes Ralfy is a book thief. 

"He crept off with comics and cookbooks, dashed away with dictionaries and nabbed novels and pinced poetry."

Did you need a sentence to demonstrate alliteration - surely this one is perfect.

Who is Ralphy robbing?  Young Arthur has tons of books but he notices some favourites are missing. Arthur sets up a surveillance using his camera, notebook, chalk, sticky tape and a torch. He sits up waiting with snacks and his teddy bear for company. Late that night Ralfy arrives he takes yet another book and hops away. Arthur tries to tell adults what has happened but no one believes him especially not the police. 

Luckily for all the book owners though, Ralfy makes a big mistake. Unluckily for Ralfy the next house he tries to rob belongs to PC Puddle - the policeman Arthur had phoned earlier. The police use a lineup of rabbits wearing 'I love books' T-shirts and a conveyor belt of carrots and books to identify the thief. 

Ralfy is found - and he confesses but all Ralfy really wants is lots of books. Arthur (and every reader) has the answer. Ralfy needs a library card!

This book was published in 2015 but it is still available. It would be a good addition to your school library and a fun book to read at the start of the year as you are encouraging your students to use your library, read and borrow often! Here is the website for Emily MacKenzie. She lives in Scotland. Here's a video of Emily reading her book Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar.

MacKenzie’s text is sweetly amusing without being precious, and smart without being over-the-heads of children. Her watercolor and ink illustrations provide a pleasant, cartoon-like background to her story. The pictures perfectly accompany the text on the page without distracting from the plot. When you stop to appreciate the sophisticated ease of MacKenzie’s writing and illustrating style, it is hard to believe this is a debut book. The Children's Book Review

MacKenzie combines story and illustration with brightness, action, and intrigue, keeping the pace moving while endearing this fluffy burglar to readers. Much of the illustrative humor is geared toward older bookworms, with famous titles adapted to long-eared persuasions: Warren Peas, for example, and The Rabbit with the Dandelion Tattoo, ensuring that adults will stay as engaged as little listeners will. This will be a raving favorite for fans of books about books as well as older readers who can appreciate the library humor. Kirkus review

There are three books in this series - the newest one The great library rescue will be published in April, 2024.

Beware! Ralfy Rabbit LOVES books. He loves nothing more than finding a quiet spot and reading. But things aren't so quiet anymore … Rodney, Ralfy's new baby brother, is making sure of that. And when Ralfy discovers a huge bite-mark hole in one of his favourite books, things go from bad to worse. Who could be behind the biting? Ralfy Rabbit is determined to find out!

Help! Ralfy and his little brother Rodney LOVE reading - so when they hear that their local library is closing down, they know they have to do something. According to the librarian, it would take a magic dragon to save the library - so Ralfy, Rodney and their friends set off to find one! Will Ralfy find the magic dragon? Or is there - just maybe - another way to bring the town together and save the library for everyone?

Mannie and the Long Brave Day by Martine Murray illustrated by Sally Rippin

"Wait a minute! What's in the box?"

Mannie is going on an adventure. She's taking her favourite elephant Lilliput and her doll Strawberry Luca. And she hasn't forgotten her special box of secret things, just in case the adventure gets adventurous.

There are some lovely ideas in this gentle story which celebrates imagination, play and the relationship of a young child with their special toys. Mannie wears her ladybug dress. Her doll, named Strawberry Lane, has no clothes so Mannie wraps her in a tea towel. Mannie has a box filled with special things. She likes to pull the noses of 'people' she loves such as her friend Lilliput the elephant.

They skip down the rocky road; creep, peep through the forest; splish splash through the wild winding river; stomp stomp up the lonely hill until they reach their picnic destination. At every turn the contents of the box fit the situation perfectly but then the sky grows dark because a storm in coming. Wait a minute - what's in the box? It is a ladder. That might be an extra surprise because you can see an umbrella on the book cover. At the top of the ladder Mannie and Lilliput push away the clouds. Then it is time to return home. 

There is a bonus glitter page surprise on the final page turn.

I missed this book back in 2009. I saw the cover this week when I was researching my blog post about our new Australian Children's Laureate - Sally Rippin. Hopefully many preschools still have this book on their shelves. It was published in hardcover (2009) and paperback (2019) and tonight I did find (and purchase) a brand new copy from eBay. This book is also listed for the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge (K-2 #28985).

This is a story about childhood, imagination and friendship. It’s a magical adventure that will delight children in a very special way because it perfectly captures the essence of what it means to be a kid. With beautiful repetitive phrases throughout and exquisite illustrations to explore, the story is a joy to read to an audience and super engaging for kids. One Child Smart

The delightful soft focus illustrations and alliterative, repetitive phrases encouraging readers' participation capture the inconsequential importance to small people of their favourite possessions, and special toys. Dangers are faced and resolution comfortingly offered. A magical story that celebrates friendship, courage and the wonder of a child's imagination. BookTrust

With beautiful repetitive phrases throughout and exquisite illustrations to explore, the story is a joy to read to an audience and super engaging for kids. Mannie and the Long Brave Day will make you smile. It will make you remember your childhood. It’s like a big warm hug. Kids' Book Review

You could pair this book with this famous title - both books are about a journey of imagination, both take place over one day and both end with everyone safe and sound back in bed:

The ABC book by Lyn Gray with verses by Ian Souter

As I previously mentioned I have been collecting alphabet books in preparation for a talk I am doing with Dr Robin Morrow for IBBY Australia. Today some friends and I were at a charity book fair and I spied quite a few alphabet books but this one really caught my eye and since it was only $1, I picked it up. (An internet bookseller has a used copy of this book listed for $64 including delivery - I think I scored a bargain)

I imagine this book from 1996 was originally written as some sort of instructional text. At the front of there is a word list which sorts all of the words into nouns, adjectives and verbs. This page is not really needed - I just enjoyed the rhymes and word play and mini stories attached to each letter. Here are a few that tickled my fancy:

"Dinky the Dinosaur was desperate to dance with a dreamy-eyed dragon - it led to romance; for they jived and they dived to a disco swing and declared their love with a diamond ring."

"Lion and Leopard worked in a library at night while ladybird searched for books by lamplight; And lizard with lollipop was seen by Miss Tut who politely announced 'It's late - time to shut!."

"A lively little zebra wanted a change of view, so with the other zebras zigzagged out of the zoo; but when a zip was unzipped there lay a surprise for the lively little zebra was a child in disguise."

Of course this book is long out of print.