Zest is defined as “an approach to life with anticipation, energy and excitement.” Zestful people tend to be happier, and their enthusiasm leads them to enjoy the everyday moments, be it work or pleasure or service.

“In bad times and in good I’ve never lost my sense of zest for life.” – Walt Disney

Zest is one of the 24 character strengths in positive psychology, and definitely an important one. Do you know someone who is zestful, maybe it is you yourself?! But if you think you need more zest in your life (and not the orange rind kind), then you will be glad to hear you can increase your zest by a few easy methods, a few of which include:

• Savor the everyday moments filled with thises and thats, and savor those quiet moments in between.
• Take care of your body by exercising, sleeping well, and eating well (of course, drinking enough water too)
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships: Make new friends while maintaining the bonds with your old friends and your family.
• Experience and enjoy nature

“Cultivate the habit of zest. Purposefully seek out the beauty in the seemingly trivial. Especially in the trivial. The colors and shapes of the foods you eat. The shadows a vase makes on your table. The interesting faces of the people on the bus with you.” – Karen Salmansohn

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The Books

Zero the Hero

Book Info

My Thoughts

Zero the Hero is a punny and educative look at the number zero. Zero goes on a journey of self-discovery after realizing the other numbers do not think as much of Zero as Zero does. The other numbers realize the importance of Zero soon after Zero is gone, and as they chat about how they miss Zero, in comes a raiding army of Roman numerals, and soon they are in trouble. Who will help them, I wonder??

Anthropomorphized numbers, number puns, basic math concepts, and cool illustrations make this book a great addition to classroom and home libraries of young readers. While some of the puns and the concept of Roman numerals might not be understood by the youngest readers, parents/teachers can easily help with those.

In Summary

Definitely not a whole lot of nothing, this Zero is so much more!

Get it Here

Goodreads || Amazon || Book Depository || Target ||
Barnes and Noble || IndieBound

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“What hunger is in relation to food, zest is in relation to life.” – Bertrand Russell

Zero is the Leaves on the Tree

Book Info

My Thoughts

Zero is the Leaves on the Tree is a very zen look at zero. By focusing on the absence of the everyday things children will most likely notice, this book emphasizes and approaches zero in a very different and understandable way.

One example from the book says that zero is the number of kites in the sky when the wind has stopped blowing. These various examples easily lend themselves to discussions on how and why there are zero of anything in each example, as well as have readers come up with their own examples inspired by the book. For example, zero would be the number of cookies in the cookie jar

Shino Arihara’s illustrations are charmingly sweet and make a perfect accompaniment to the gently flowing rhythm of Betsy Franco’s text.

In Summary

A sweet read with beautiful illustrations and a unique look at the number zero for young readers.

Get it Here

Goodreads || Amazon || Barnes and Noble || IndieBound

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“Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest.” – Christian Dior

My ‘Z’ Book Stack

Oh, simply focus on the one starting with Z!!! I have made it easier with that second pic for you!

The Books

• Zlata’s Diary : A Child’s Life in Sarajevo

Quick Notes

Really quick too – have not read this!

Random Thing(s) for ‘Z’ Day

Once again, I bring to you a list of the words and their meanings:

• zabaglione: an Italian dessert that is sure to be yummy!
• zeugma (noun): a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses (e.g., John and his license expired last week ) or to two others of which it semantically suits only one (e.g., with weeping eyes and hearts ).
• zigzaggery (noun): A zigzagging course or method or route
• zill (noun): finger cymbals used in belly dancing
• zoetic (Adj):of or relating to life; living or vital. I think zest is zoetic!

“True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

And now, the end of this post

So, dear reader, as always, a couple of questions for you. Have you read the pictured ‘Z’ book? Do you have interesting ‘Z’ words or facts for me?

“In times of unrest and in an unstable economy, it is very easy to let your attitude slip and begin feeling sorry for yourself. This is precisely when you want to practice healthy attitudinal rules to stay alert, alive and enthusiastic. Don’t ever lose the zest for life and life won’t lose its zest for you. Say something positive to every person you meet today.” – Bob Proctor

For previous posts, click on the links below:

Day_0(Theme) Day_1A Day_2B Day_3C Day_4D Day_5 Day_6E Day_7F Day_8G Day_9H Day_10I Day_11J Day_12 Day_13K Day_14L Day_15M Day_16N Day_17O Day_18P Day_19 Day_20Q Day_21R Day_22S Day_23T Day_24U Day_25V Day_26 Day_27W Day_28X Day_29Y

Linking up to the April A to Z Blogging Challenge, and the Ultimate Blog Challenge (click on the images to learn more about these challenges)