Octopuses Have Zero Bones

An unconventional, engaging, and delightful counting book for curious minds that playfully uses numbers as an entry-point to discover the amazing, diverse, fact-filled world of wonders all around us. The book focuses on the numbers zero to nine and powers of ten counterparts of ten to nine billion. 

 

Do you wonder…

How many bones an octopus has?

How many breaths you take a day?

How many times a black bear’s heart beats each hour?

How many moons Mars has?

How many miles a trip to the moon and back is? How about a trip to Saturn?

How many leaves are on an oak tree?

How many meters there are between you and the clouds?

What happens when you keep placing zeroes at the end of numbers?

 

The answers to these questions appear in this book — along with many more amazing facts that celebrate the numbers zero to nine and powers of ten numbers ten to nine billion.

 

Starting with zero instead of one, this whimsical, fact-filled counting book will delight readers of all ages. Combining elements of traditional and advanced counting books with a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around us, "Octopuses Have Zero Bones" encourages young readers to fall in love with numbers and the world around them.

 

The book’s layered content offers an easy and attractive point of entry as well as the possible to explore and understand more at multiple levels.

 

 

• Winner of the International Award for Illustration Bologna Children’s Book Fair-Fundación SM 2023
• Finalist Premio Orbil 2024 (Italy)
• Smithsonian Magazine: 10 Best Children's Books of 2022
• Premio Galileo Shortlist 2025 (Italy)

 

Bologna Book Fair, Fundacion SM award / The jury said: "The drawings of Andrea are very compelling. We could easily relate to the funny characters with their strong personalities and sense of humor. It all looks so light and depurated but we recognize a great mastery. The limited palette of shapes, colours and a few lines create a vibrating graphical expression, reminding of electric city lights. The set-up is not accidental, each element has its own, well-defined weight and a clear intention. Each one of his illustrations express a clear intention for all kinds of audience. The decision was unanimous (...)"

 

Premio Galileo Jury: "A book that has already become a classic of popular science writing for children and teenagers, and one that speaks to all ages. It is a journey into the nature of numbers, starting from the zero in the title – a choice that goes against the grain of traditional treatments, which often relegate it to the end. And yet, it is through the absence of zero that the other numbers gain meaning. Particularly effective is the idea of pairing each number with concrete elements from the natural world, which the reader is invited to discover through illustrations of outstanding quality and originality."

 

 

 

IN THE MEDIA:

 

"Richardson’s clever counting book is prepared for the most inquisitive readers, bringing answers to fresh questions they may not even have thought to ask. " — Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Best Children’s Books of 2022

 

"Some children find numbers off-putting and prefer humanities. No problem! California-based Anna Richardson and Italian illustrator Andrea Antinori have had the brilliant idea to reconcile both and make them love mathematics while telling incredible yet true stories around numbers". — Livres Hebdo, France

 

"Reading this original illustrated book gives us the opportunity to try to count and measure some of the things that surround us every day, getting to know aspects and characteristics that we had never paid attention to before and marvelling at our discoveries!" — Rivista Andersen, Italy

 

"An exciting and contagious game that does not end after the last page, but which the author invites us to continue by counting what surrounds us in the world... " — Corriere della Serra, "La lettura", Italy

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND THE ILLUSTRATOR:

 

Anne Richardson is an author of experiences that kindle your curiosity. In her work, everything in the world is astonishing and worthy of our attention, from a drop of rain to the way we figure things out together. She is the senior director of Global Collaborations at the Exploratorium, San Francisco, where she works with partners worldwide to imagine and create new science centers and other extraordinary learning experiences. Richardson holds a PhD and an MS in environmental studies from Antioch University New England, and a BA in art history from Northwestern University. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family, including two little explorers.

 

 

Andrea Antinori is an award-winning illustrator based in Bologna, Italy. Since he was a child, he has loved animals and he has loved to draw them. His favorite animal changes all the time. He likes octopuses very much, but right now, lemurs are the creatures he loves most. He wrote and illustrated the book On the Lives of Lemurs: A Short Treatise on Natural History. Other books he has illustrated include A Book about Whales and The Great Battle, the latter of which has received major international awards including:

 

- Best International Illustrated Book — China Shanghai

- International Children's Book Fair, Premio Andersen — Best book 6-9 years olds

- Selected illustrator for exhibition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2017

- Italian illustrator in IBBY Honor List 2016