Zero is a big round number. When she looks at herself, she just sees a
hole right in her center. Every day she watches the other numbers line
up to count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 . . . ! Those numbers have value.
That's why they count, she thinks. But how could a number worth nothing
become something? Zero feels empty inside. She watches One having fun
with the other numbers. One has bold strokes and squared corners. Zero
is big and round with no corners at all. If I were like One, then I can
count too, she thinks. So she pushes and pulls, stretches and
straightens, forces and flattens herself, but in the end she realizes
that she can only be Zero. As budding young readers learn about numbers
and counting, they are also introduced to accepting different body
types, developing social skills and character, and learning what it
means to find value in yourself and in others.