Statistics help us create Internet technologies, develop medicines, win elections, invest in stocks, predict the weather, and much more. But the methods that produce important numbers remain beyond many of us. How do we determine the proper size of a sample? How, exactly, do we calculate standard deviation? And just what is the central limit theorem? In The Cartoon Introduction to Statistics, Grady Klein and Alan Dabney cut through the confusion and take us on a tour of this dynamic subject, helping us stay afloat on the sea of data that is our increasingly complex world. Separating the book into two main parts (hunting statistics and gathering parameters) for readers both in and outside the classroom, they explore the key foundational concepts of statistics and the perils of improper methods. They round out the book with the "Math Cave," which provides easy access to the formulas every student will want to have close at hand. Through cheeky and irreverent examples bound to engage anyone grappling with the difference between histograms and boxplots, Klein and Dabney have created a rollicking narrative about the best ways to make confident statements based on limited information. Timely, authoritative, and a pleasure to read, The Cartoon Introduction to Statistics is an essential guide for students and for curious readers who want to better understand the world around them.

Psychology is the study of our behaviour, of the ways our minds make sense of the world around us. It is a serious endeavour because we value scientific knowledge, for what it tells us about the world but also for what it reveals about our place in the world. Yet, as Grady Klein and Danny Oppenheimer point out, the study of human experience is comical. Split into three sections, “Making Sense of the World”, “Making Sense of Ourselves” and “Making Sense of Others”, the book gives observations on perception, stress, language, emotions, cognition and more with cartoons to bring them to life. Our experiences blundering through the world are perfect cartoon fodder, and Klein and Oppenheimer are the perfect team to bring that whimsy to its most logical format.

When The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change was first published in 2014, it offered something entirely new: a fun, illustrated guide to a planetary crisis. If that sounds like an oxymoron, you’ve never seen the carbon cycle demonstrated through yoga poses or a polar bear explaining evolution to her cubs. That creativity comes from the minds of Yoram Bauman, the world’s first and only “stand-up economist,” and award-winning illustrator Grady Klein. After seeing their book used in classrooms and the halls of Congress alike, the pair has teamed up again to fully update the guide with the latest scientific data from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). A lot has happened to the climate over the last decade, and the authors tackle the daunting statistics with their trademark humour. They realise it’s better to laugh than cry when confronting mind-blowing facts about our changing world. Readers will become familiar with critical concepts, but they’ll also smile as they learn about climate science, projections, and policy. Sociologists have argued that we don’t address climate change because it’s too big and frightening to get our heads around. The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change takes the intimidation and gloom out of one of the most important challenges of our time.