ALA Booklist

Welcome to the world of numbers t just any numbers but enormous ones. "Let me tell you a secret. / The sun is just a star. / And there are (maybe) a hundred billion trillion stars." Fishman and Greenberg present an informational read that only begins to touch the surface of the multitude of things (e.g., ants, gravity, raindrops, rabbits, and the tallest building, for example) that make up our world. "This entire world is filled with crazy numbers, built one on top of the other, making it whole and complete." Greenberg combines abstract art and childlike cartooning in bold colors, thick outlines, and paint-splattered scenes to make Fishman's engaging text come alive. Following gargantuan numbers that are written numerically and in word form, Fishman closes with an important message: "I can tell you one more secret about something you can find somewhere among the hundred billion trillion stars. / There's only one of YOU." A lively glimpse into the enormity of the universe in a package well suited to the picture-book set.

Kirkus Reviews

Huge numbers take on an even bigger scale in Fishman and Greenberg's insightful, awe-inspiring picture book.A secret shared between narrator and the reader kicks things off: "The sun is just a star. / And there are (maybe) 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars." (Readers will be grateful for the "a hundred billion trillion" printed in the corner.) Stars too many to count, in various sizes and shapes, fill the double-page spread, illustrating the comically large number centered on the page. It's enough to leave most flabbergasted, but Fishman aims for much more as he zeroes in on one particular blue-and-green planet. Even this celestial orb has its secrets: "Blue because it's covered by 370,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons of water. Green because it's covered in 3,000,000,000,000 trees." From there it's all about the (innumerable) details. For example, 10 quadrillion ants may equal 7.5 billion humans in weight (as terrifying as that sounds); meanwhile, 420 million dogs or guitars lined up head to foot circle the Earth about 10 times. The figures aren't precise, but quibbling over exactness almost misses the point of the book. A constant throughout this excursion, however, is Greenberg's digital artwork, which features bold, thick lines, vibrant colors and shapes, and a diverse cast of nameless characters. More notable perhaps is the author's persistent focus on the reader: "There's only one of YOU." Such a statement threatens to veer into ham-fisted territory, but here it serves to underline how amazing it is to be the only one. An auspicious primer on some very big numbers. (author's note) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In a book that encourages readers to observe the world with wonder and curiosity, Fishman (The Well-s End) delights in throwing mammoth, even unfathomable figures at them, using estimation to round to the nearest billion or trillion as necessary. Beginning with the sun, Fishman explains that it-s just one star among -(maybe) 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars.- (In the corner of the spread, -a hundred billion trillion- appears, helping readers boggled by those 23 zeroes-or adults reading aloud.) He then rattles off staggering numbers about the planet and its inhabitants: 240,000 miles, the distance at which the moon orbits the Earth, -is about ten times around the earth, or almost 420,000,000 yous.- Greenberg (The One Hundred Nights of Hero) illustrates in a chunky, cheery cartoon style, switching between scenes of interplanetary vastness and intimate ones of children reading, adding warmth to counterbalance the unwieldy numbers. An afterword dives deeper into the power of estimation and extrapolation when trying to make sense of things that seem unknowable at first glance. Ages 4-8. Author-s agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit. Illustrator-s agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Company. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Gr 2-4Very likely breaking the record for the number of zeroes in a picture book, Fishman presents a tally of humongous figuresbeginning with the estimated population of stars in the universe and going on to an "entire world" that is "filled with crazy numbers." The work focuses much more on how awesome and unimaginable these numbers are rather than explaining the intricacies of calculating them. No sources are provided for the totals and only at the end does Fishman admit that the strings of digits are at best ballpark estimates: "sort-of-definitely-ALMOST true." In addition, the author breaks the "-illions" down inconsistently without explaining until the endnote that terms like "billion trillion" and "sextillion" are equivalents. Greenberg places many of the strung-out sums against starry backdrops, with cartoon images of trees, animals, members of a diverse human cast, and other familiar forms, providing starting points for contemplating all those dizzying digits. VERDICT An imagination stretcher for younger audiences who enjoy marveling at mind-bending numbers.John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York