Zero, Zilch, Nada: Counting to None

Starting a new job at a balloon factory, Harry, a brown rabbit, must blow up 100 balloons and does so while singing a song: "Puff, puff, puff/ tie in a knot/ add a nice long string/ slip it in a slot." Harry counts to make sure he has 100, but keeps losing track; when other animal employees suggest different ways of counting—by 10s, fives, and twos—he (inexplicably) pops the balloons in the process. Luckily, his boss gives him another chance, telling him that "10 sets of 10—always equal 100." Despite the title, there's no emphasis on the concept of zero, but those who struggle to understand multiplication may find the explanation helpful. Ages 4–8. (June)