Pistes d'exploration

Discuss the story. Why did Zero feel like she did not fit in? What can you do to help make sure everyone feels part of the group?

Write in your journal about a time when you felt you didn’t fit in. What did you do about it?

With a partner, role play an interview with Zero and find out how she feels now that things have changed. What advice would she give to others in a similar situation?

Play a game in which you write the number words onto cards and then try to identify and sequence them. 

Choral read along with the story.

Practise recognizing the numbers.

Discuss the story. What are two meanings for the words zero, count and value? Why does Zero feel empty inside? How do the other numbers treat Zero? What do you do when you feel that you don’t fit in?

Use a T-chart to compare how Zero feels before and after she finds her value. Use words, expressions and illustrations from the book in your comparison.

Write an e-mail from Zero to the author of this book.

The Invisible Boy, Small Saul, One, TheCow That Laid an Egg

Mots-clés

Picture book , belonging , character , counting , courage , encouragement , figurative language , individuality , numbers , self-confidence , self-esteem

Commentaire descriptif

This imaginative story seamlessly interweaves a math lesson with an uplifting moral. Zero sees herself with a “big hole” in her centre; she wants to “count” too, just like the other numbers. “Zero felt empty inside.” The language is poetic and evocative: “One was solid and strong with bold strokes and square corners.” Zero “. . . forced and flattened . . .” as she tried to be like the admirable One. The text is exuberant in its use of double entendre. “Zero rolled up to the numbers. ‘I’ve thought of a way for us to count even more!’ she said.” Painted numbers form the illustrations. Zero’s mood is ably reflected by her wobbling lines and sagging form. Later, when she begins to redefine herself as “open” (rather than empty), her round shape shimmers with a thick silver stroke. The final pages are an impressive lesson in the use of zero. Even children who dislike mathematics will be entranced by the clarity of meaning, in combination with the stunning visuals and production values—all math books should look like this. At the end, with new self-understanding, Zero now feels “whole . . . right in her center.”