Octopuses Have Zero Bones
A counting book about our amazing world
By Anne Richardson
illustrated by Andrea Antinori

A counting book by ones and powers of ten featuring real-world examples to marvel at and wonder about. 

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 all 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. 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.

Specifications
Trade Edition
Publication date: September 27, 2022
Hardcover, smyth sewn binding
Color illustrations throughout
68 pages 9.25 x 12 in.
Retail price: $19.99 US
ISBN 978-1-7353115-2-4

About the Illustrator

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, and he also loves lemurs. He wrote and illustrated 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

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What People are Saying

about Octopuses Have Zero Bones

An instant classic—a fun, fascinating must-read for any child or kid at heart. This book will engage, delight, and enlighten learners of all ages and spark a lifetime of curiosity.

Lindsay Bierman

CEO, Exploratorium

What an exciting and fascinating read! From it’s creative approach to exploring numbers and measurement, to the beautiful artwork, this book inspires an imaginative view of the world around us from the very big to the minute. A real joy to read and learn.

Ben Kramer

Global Lead of Artist + Label Development, YouTube

This remarkable book is about much more than counting. It imbues numbers with wonder and changes the way you perceive yourself, the world around you, and the universe! Fascinating for children and grownups alike, and beautifully illustrated.

Leo Kremer

Former member of Third Eye Blind and founder of Dos Toros Taqueria

A fascinating romp through tens (hundreds? thousands?) of topics that interest children, accompanied by a solid sense of how numbers relate to each other, to children, and to the world.

Jen Lumanian, M.S., M.Ed.

Your Parenting Mojo

Anne Richardson so wonderfully captures the joy of exploration that is foundational to all scientific discovery. As humanity sets our sights on the Moon, Mars and beyond, and as we increasingly look to science to help us tackle challenges such as climate change here on Earth, what could be more important than encouraging our kids’ natural curiosity and inspiring the next generation of scientists and confident, creative thinkers.

Adam Tobin

CEO, Chabot Space + Science

A great educator who is always thinking about the power of a great question, Dr. Richardson assembles a wide-ranging look at multiple ways to think about the numbers that underlie the world around us. Equal parts whimsical and thought-provoking, a must read for parents of curious kids and future scientists in-the-making.”

Sam Dean

Founding Executive Director, Scott Family Amazeum

This delightful book on numerals shows how just the simple act of counting opens up an amazing opportunity for inquiry about the world around us.

Rob Semper

Chief Science Officer, Exploratorium

Richardson has found a unique and engaging way to help my son and me relate to the myriad of things in our world and inspire wonder in everyday life. If Pixar wrote a book about the scale and wonders of our world, it may be as fun, engaging, and educational as this book.

Duncan Cheung

Founder, Off Trail On Track

Replete with many wonderful and fascinating natural relationships, sure to wake up and inspire some of the 86 billion neurons in a young brain.

Nick Cronan

Award-winning designer and Founder of Branch Creative

Engaging and thoughtfully written, a truly enjoyable journey through numbers for that curious scientist in all of us.

Lindsay Newman

Structural Engineer, Double-D Engineering

I felt like an excited kid reading Octopuses Have Zero Bones! Counting the elemental things in our world and universe filled me with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Its ideas are poetic and expansive, its visual world mesmerizing and whimsical.

Tom Peyton

Award-winning Pop and Rock Songwriter and Producer

A fascinating book for children that explores imagination of little curious minds in an insightful way. It’s a very creative and entertaining way to teach and learn numbers through fun facts.

Simmer Narula

Lead, Global People Development. VmWare

Octopuses Have Zero Bones deftly achieves two different goals. Its beautifully illustrated pages both describe our system of numerals and apply them to the universe around us, far and near. The young reader simultaneously acquires a sense of the scale of things and a language to describe it. Kids will be wowed by the pictures and linger over the examples—and maybe even measure a few new items for themselves. This is a multi-dimensional triumph.

Larry Gonick

Author of the Cartoon History of the Universe

I love this book! What a great banquet of numbers and nature, so joyfully illustrated. Times, size-scales, numbers of hearts, toes, spots on a ladybug, and so much more… all come to life on pages overflowing with personality. I can imagine a parent and a child reading this again and again, both getting more from it each time. A clever structure introduces the counting numbers from 1 to 10 while also bringing in the powers of ten from 10s to Billions. There is simple information like the number of legs of a water bear and more complex concepts like the PH and decibel scale, all illustrated in such an endearing way that a fact filled book becomes whimsically engaging.

Tom Rockwell

Senior Creative Director, Exploratorium

Coming Soon

Snow is Not White
A book of unreal colors
By Anne Richardson

A surprising tour of the rainbow world around us. Have you wondered about where magenta is in the rainbow? Or how octopuses can change the color of their skin? Are you curious about the brilliant blue of peacock feathers? Take a look at colors with me from some new perspectives. 

Coming Later

Invisible Alphabet
By Anne Richardson

A whimsical ode to the world of things we know are there but cannot see.  Air, black holes, consciousness… 

If you’re curious about the unseen way that plants communicate, why we cannot see the radio waves that are all around us, or what on earth is invisible that begins with the letter K, then get excited about this book.  

Media Requests

For all media, interview, and marketing requests, please contact Andrea Burnett at andrea@andreaburnett.com or Jessica Faroy at jfaroy@trapublishing.com.

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