With hurricanes ravaging our coasts and wildfires destroying our forests, a book like the gorgeous “Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World” by former Cleveland resident Kristin Ohlson is the best kind of medicine.

Ohlson’s research takes her to Oregon, where she shadows scientists and students who track the distribution of fungi on tree roots while she helps to measure and tag hundreds of trees. In Colorado, she observes bumblebees chewing holes in the bottom of flowers to get at the nectar, instead of reaching through the top of the blossom to pollinate it.

The tremendous efforts of scientists to save life on this planet extend to a Mexican coffee plantation and ranchers studying grazing management in Nevada. Logging, beekeeping: Everything is connected. Ohlson addresses the issue of chemical conglomerates buying up farms and seed companies, and the increase in genetically modified organisms at the expense of heritage seeds. She interviews a maritime microbiologist, who provides the delightful revelation that fragile coral is protected by fish snot.

There are poetic excursions: “Every quivering twig, every lip of fungus curling away from a fallen tree, every sprightly tuft of moss – everything – was throbbing with a dance of life carried on by multiple partners.” If that seems melodramatic, try “There are alliances and wars being waged beneath our feet on a daily basis.”

Ohlson reaches into the past too for examples of the study of symbiotic relationships, like the 19th-century anarchist Russian prince who went to Siberia to observe mutual aid. Amelia Earhart gathered samples of organisms in the air during flight. Today, a Swiss professor flies above hurricanes to collect air samples.

With this dedication to conservation and renewal, readers can be hopeful that nature can endure, if only people will both help it and get out of its way. “Sweet in Tooth and Claw” is accessible but does take time to absorb and is best read in increments. The glorious photos are a feast.

The book’s title refers to “Tho’ Nature, red in tooth and claw,” a line from the 1850 poem “In Memoriam” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, an allusion to the violence and predatory behavior of even the simplest organisms. The conclusion is that nature can endure, if only people will both help it and get out of its way.

“Sweet in Tooth and Claw” (392 pages, hardcover) costs $27.95 from Patagonia. Kristin Ohlson also is the author of “The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet.”

Cleveland is famous for its rich cultural diversity, originally as the destination for European immigrants and later for those from Asia and Africa. One place to see these people represented is the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, an array of 33 separate gardens, each of which is dedicated to a culture affiliated with Cleveland.

The author, John J. Grabowski, is a historian, and goes all the way back to the Ice Age before he continues with Moses Cleaveland’s landing and millionaires Jeptha Wade and John D. Rockefeller.

The idea, it seems, started when different ethnic groups began to erect monuments to their respective heroes: the Poles to statesman Thaddeus Kosciuszko, the Slovaks to aviator Milan Stefanik. In 1916, a garden was dedicated near Rockefeller Park to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare; it was later renamed the British Garden. Then came the Hebrew Garden, the German, Italian, Czech, Ukrainian, Finnish and, most recently, the Lebanese Garden in 2019. Other gardens are coming, including Uzbek, Mexico and Native American.

Most gardens feature statues; a few have fountains and benches. Every time a new garden is added, a vault in the Peace Garden of the Nations is opened and soil from the home country is added to that from those already there.

The photos by Lauren R. Pacini are in black and white; a few illustrations from other sources are in color.

“Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens” (176 pages, softcover) costs $35 from Kent State University Press. John J. Grabowski is an associate professor of applied history at Case Western Reserve University and chief historian at the Western Reserve Historical Society; Lauren R. Pacini is co-author of “Preserving the Shaker Parklands: The Story of the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes.”

Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Lauren Persons, with illustrators Noah Hrbek and Lydia Whitehouse, sign her debut picture book “Lost But Found: A Boy’s Story of Grief and Recovery” and “What Happened to Chester: An En-Deer-Ing Tale of Hope and Healing,” 1 p.m. Sunday.

Hudson Library & Historical Society: Historian Michael Livingston discusses “Crécy: Battle of Five Kings,” about the crucial 1349 battle in the Hundred Years’ War, in a Zoom event at 7 p.m. Monday. At 1 p.m. Saturday, Graham Robb talks about “France: An Adventure History.” Register at hudsonlibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Middleburg Heights branch, 16699 Bagley Road): Jennifer Coburn discusses her debut historical novel, “Cradles of the Reich,” 7 to 8 p.m. Monday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Canton Palace Theatre (605 Market Ave. N.): Tyler Merritt joins the Dr. Audrey Lavin Speaking of Books Author Series, talking about “I Take My Coffee Black: Reflections on Tupac, Musical Theater, Faith, and Being Black in America,” 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at starklibrary.org.

Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library (263 E. 305th St., Willowick): William G. Krejci talks about “Buried Beneath Cleveland: Lost Cemeteries of Cuyahoga County, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: CNN International news anchor Zain Asher joins the Online Author Talk Series, discussing her memoir “Where the Children Take Us” in a virtual event at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Register at smfpl.org.

Wadsworth Public Library (132 Broad St.): Mark Perretta discusses his World War II-set novel “Song of Cigale,” 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (North Royalton branch, 5071 Wallings Road): Greg Feketik, author of “Insights into the Unknown” and “Roads into the Unknown,” talks about haunted places in Ohio, 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Rocky River Public Library (1600 Hampton Road): William G. Krejci, author (with John W. Myers) of “Haunted Franklin Castle,” talks about the Cleveland landmark, 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Register at rrpl.org.

Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County (305 Wick Ave., Youngstown): Elin Hilderbrand, author of bestsellers “Golden Girl” and “Summer of ’69,” appears at a cocktail party and dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday. Tickets begin at $100 and include a copy of “Hotel Nantucket.” Register at libraryvisit.org.

Akron-Summit County Public Library (Green branch, 4046 Massillon Road): Members of The Write Stuff Authors Group of Canton present “Polish and Publish Your Writing,” followed by a question-and-answer and book signing, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Scheduled authors are Kori Frazier Morgan (“Bone China Girls: A Poetic Account of a Female Crime”), Debbie Edmisten (“A Just Measure”), Michael Von Ness (“General in Command: The Life of John B. Anderson”), Cat Russell (“Soul Picked Clean”), Craig May, Roger Gordon (“The Cleveland Browns All-Time All-Stars: The Best Players at Each Position for the Browns”), Kim Gasber and Don Ake (“Turkey Terror at My Door! Misadventures and Memoirs of a Middle-Aged Man”).

Cleveland Public Library (525 Superior Ave.): The CLE Reads Book Festival features young adult authors George M. Johnson, Angeline Boulley, Ayana Gray, Malinda Lo, Jarrett Krosoczka, Justin Reynolds, Sara Farizan, Jordan Ifueko, Ebony LaDelle, Tami Charles, C. Alex London, Natalia Sylvester, Danielle Valentine and Jas Hammonds, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Register at cpl.org.

Akron-Summit County Public Library (Maple Valley branch, 1187 Copley Road): Cleveland native Pamela Pinkney-Butts signs her self-help books, including “Choose Life” and “From Riches to Rags: The Costs of Reporting Abuse,” 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

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Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.

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