With an introductory reference to severe flooding in South Asia, Schroeder notes the increasing incidence of natural disasters across the world, including in areas with no prior history of them. She explains the impact of growing amounts of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, connecting the dots between the resulting rise in global temperatures that affects biodiversity, precipitation, crop patterns, and human health, and the loss of homes, livelihoods, and food security. Coastal cities are under threat of flooding as sea levels rise, and the fate of small island nations like Kiribati looks grim. The book underscores the responsibility of wealthier nations to fight the impending crisis—their actions generate a disproportionate amount of global emissions—and describes some ways that countries are adapting to the impacts of the changing climate. The crisp text and structured flow make this an informative and accessible read. The book features stock photographs but unfortunately lacks diagrams and other visual representations of the information presented. A short list of suggested actions offers young readers ways to be involved in movements to reduce climate change, while making no mention of how their consumption patterns directly relate to the worsening situation.

“Delaware may be small, but its criminal history contains multitudes,” writes Tabler at the outset of his narrative of the Diamond State’s seamy underbelly. “These stories span a spectrum—from blood-chilling murders that haunted generations to curious capers lost in dusty archives, from soul-crushing injustices that demanded reform to schemes so preposterous they strain credulity.” Tabler takes his readers through the gamut of the seediest misdeeds, from statewide scandals involving prominent politicians and other public figures to grotesque local murders, all drawn from state lore extending well over a century. He tells readers about Noah Benson, whose headless body was found in 1891 in the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, sparking a sensational murder trial that filled the headlines of all the local papers (the head was never found). A more contemporary account outlines the sexual predation of pediatrician Dr. Earl Bradley, who in the 1990s abused dozens of children (a nurse claimed that he “made girls undress before routine exams, kissed and hugged them, and remarked about attractive mothers”). Tabler mentions that state Attorney General Beau Biden wanted Bradley’s offices “wiped off the face of the earth.” In most cases, Tabler offers larger lessons to be learned. For example, about bigamist clergyman Irvin Taylor, who had a deserted wife in Delaware while he was an upstanding married man in Iowa, Tabler writes, “The scandal exposed something more universal: the ease with which a man entrusted with moral and spiritual leadership could live a lie in plain sight.”

A less talented writer might have assumed that the salacious nature of this kind of history would do most of the heavy lifting as far as entertaining readers, but Tabler knows better. He turns the history he’s researched into good stories and often contextualizes it; regarding lawyer-turned-murderer Thomas Capano, he writes: “The once-powerful attorney who had manipulated the highest echelons of Delaware politics—and believed himself untouchable—died alone in a prison infirmary. It was a final, ignominious chapter in his fall from grace.” The author also delves deep into specifics, aided by both his vast research and his sharp ear for great quotes plucked from regional publications, as when Delaware’s newspaper Every Evening wryly commented on customers who persisted in drinking backwoods moonshine even after the state’s Liquor Commission issued beer-making licenses: “Tell the nation that instantaneous death would result from pulling the lobe of the left ear four times in rapid succession, and the undertakers would do a big business.” He’s equally adept at highlighting either absurd dark humor or savage tragedy, depending on the nature of the horror he’s describing, and his choices give the book a fine feeling of balance and depth. He tells the story of a constable named Brown found throttling Wilmington’s mayor in 1891 (“Yes, I grabbed him by the throat,” the constable evenly said, “but he grabbed me first”) with as much storyteller commitment as he does the many con artists who’ve targeted the most vulnerable throughout the state’s history. It’s all done with energy and detail; true crime fans and Delaware history buffs will be delighted.

This short introduction to anime, like the genre itself, diverges in many directions. Six chapters highlight aspects of the industry, beginning with “The Anime Renaissance,” a chapter establishing the contemporary context of Japanese animation. The author argues that anime is central to Japanese culture; the robot cat Doraemon holds an official government position as “anime ambassador.” Internationally, the streaming service Crunchyroll has played a huge part in bringing anime to viewers outside Japan. Later chapters explore stylistic features of anime, the world of anime voice acting, anime’s influence on international animation culture, cosplay, and 2.5D adaptations of animated shows as live-action plays. The final chapter on fan culture centers on the ongoing popularity of Pokémon video games and trading cards and the growing worldwide demand for licensed character merchandise. Overall, this work feels incomplete, and the audience is unclear. There are curiosity-inducing points that will encourage deeper research, but for an introductory reference guide, it assumes more knowledge than readers new to the topic may have and lacks the robust historical perspective and artistic analysis that would make it a stronger resource. Each chapter is loosely organized; end-of-chapter summaries would have supported greater comprehension of the material. For young anime fans, this work only scratches the surface.

Addressing, like the other volumes in this series, “mission-ready” younger readers, Eason surveys threats ranging from modern whaling to climate change, abandoned fishing nets, and plastics pollution. She supplements an overview of conservation-related careers with vignettes featuring children who describe personal actions such as small-scale beach cleanups. Messy page design impedes the presentation; a jumble of text boxes, some askew, in various hues are placed on each spread over color photos of different sorts of whales—and also other threatened varieties of sea life, mostly mammals. Still, all the glimpses of appealingly posed whales, whale babies, and other animals will crank up reader empathy, and the twin messages come through clearly enough of the pressing need for action, and that we can all do our part, from making simple changes in our daily behavior to pursuing actual jobs in the field. Most of the appended websites are career-oriented, but the backmatter also includes resources for the intended younger audience.

It may seem premature to promote careers in wildlife conservation in an appeal aimed at a younger primary-grade audience, but Eason forges ahead anyway. She addresses “mission-ready” readers in her introduction and finishes with lines of relevant work from trained scientist to field guide, filmmaker, and even public relations specialist. In between, she engagingly positions chimpanzees as our closest living relatives, intelligent and feeling. The author tallies a range of threats to their existence, from human-spread diseases, poaching for bushmeat, and the effects of climate change to habitat loss due to logging, agriculture, and mining. Though the pages are crowded with boxes of bite-size narrative, close-up photos of chimps with cameos of gorillas, pygmy hippos, and other forest neighbors are wedged in to add visual appeal. Smiling “Kids on a Mission” pop into view periodically to suggest hands-on ways of supporting conservation efforts; a bulleted “Take Action” list offers further ideas. The generous backmatter includes age-appropriate resources as well as leads to career-oriented websites.