The Tangled Tale, a picture book for kids by Sheika Shamma bint Sultan bin Kalifa Al Nahyan, is part of a series with this book dedicated to environmental issues. The two characters that connect the series are a flying horse named Maxima and a macho, loveable French bulldog named Coustaud. In this volume, they are learning how pesticides and other harsh chemicals affect air quality. The two friends’ amusing odyssey is led by a queen bee they encounter as they explore a mangrove forest. Along the way, they meet a malnourished tiger, a struggling crab, a tangled-up dragon, and even a city-dwelling lady spraying her beehive hair. Illustrative diagrams show how everything is connected, the pollination cycle, the mangrove ecosystem, and the constellations. At the end, there’s a “Did You Know” page with added facts. Finally, we see the real horse and dog upon which Maxima and Coustaud are based.

As I was reading and enjoying the magnificent full-page illustrations by Dr. Dianne Breeze, I imagined reading this book with my seven-year-old granddaughter Brittany. So, I gave it a try. She loved the characters, especially Coustaud. We paused to discuss vocabulary, words such as pesticide, boreal, poisonous, camouflaged, navigate, constellations, intuition (this one was fun but tricky to explain), canopy, pod, organic, and a few others. I was glad that the author included such terms for upward learning. I also imagined a teacher using the book in a class even though some people think the environment is capable of taking care of itself. The illustrations will, I think, appeal even to pre-school children despite the complexity of the issues discussed. But there is no doubt that this picture book will help untangle the tangled story of the human effect on the earth’s environment due to the interconnectedness of all things. Brittany and I had great fun going through The Tangled Tale together.

The Tangled Tale: The Adventures of Maxima and Coustaud is an environmental adventure picture book for children written by Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and illustrated by Dr. Dianne Breeze. Maxima and Coustaud were the best of friends even though they seemed very different. Coustaud was a diminutive and funny French bulldog, while Maxima was a lovely and elegant mare who was able to fly. They both loved having adventures and visiting new places. When they decided to visit a mangrove forest, their enjoyment of the lovely natural setting was interrupted by the worried buzzing of a bee. Coustaud was terrified of bees and frantically attempted to evade the stinging insect, while Maxima waited to see what was happening. They noticed how this bee was also different; she was wearing a crown. She explained that she was a queen bee. Her hive mates have to look for a new home as they could no longer breathe in their lovely forest. But why? What was happening to the bees? How could it be reversed?

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan’s The Tangled Tale: The Adventures of Maxima and Coustaud eloquently shares with young readers the interconnectedness of all living beings with planet Earth in a compelling story about two explorers and their visit to a mangrove forest in crisis. The author introduces complex topics in a manner that makes them accessible to their target audience while also showing how being part of the change is within the reach of each of us. Dr. Breeze’s marvelous panels make each of the ecosystems Maxima and Coustaud visit come alive brilliantly. Add to that an inspiring introduction to astronomy and the nighttime skies, and you have a book that’s likely to have kids happily settling in for many repeated reading adventures. The Tangled Tale: The Adventures of Maxima and Coustaud is a marvelous introduction to earth and environmental science; it’s also a grand and entertaining adventure guaranteed to thrill young readers. It’s most highly recommended.