What would you do if someone took something very dear to you and you had no idea where they went? If need be, you would travel around the world for clues that would lead you to the thieves and then catch them before it’s too late.

The Angry Birds do the same thing here in National Geographic Kids’ Angry Birds Playground Animals, where Red, Chuck and Bomb travel around the world in search of their stolen eggs. They introduce us to some of the most amazing animals found in specific places, becoming our unlikely tour guides across the globe.

This book is divided into five habitats so that the young readers don’t get confused between North America and Africa, or in creatures found in the North Pole to the one found in places where grass dominates the surroundings. And if rain forest, desert, oceans, grassland and polar are not understandable to kids, then I don’t know what is.

The information is sure to delight kids who are fascinated with everything that they don’t know about. This book is full of such stuff!

What makes the beautifully-designed page spreads more informative is the arrival of the Angry Birds, who move from one place to another via slingshot, just like they did in the computer games and later in the Angry Birds Movie. They go from one habitat to another, exploring the place for animals and their eggs, in that order. They can’t do much about the unhatched eggs but yes, they can find out about the animals, what is their size, what do they like to eat, what kind of sound do they generate and some fun facts, making their journey all the more interesting. Those readers whose knowledge increases with this journey are the ones who would enjoy the book as much as Angry Birds!

In every habitat, the birds encounter as many as eight animals and discuss them all with the readers, sharing their experiences on the way. Unlike animated films, these birds make their presence felt as a superimposed part of the book, where their commentary is what keeps you engrossed in reading. Their speech bubbles remind you of their original journey while the rest of the pages talk about the habitat they are in, its interesting inhabitants and, more importantly, how they survive in the seemingly tough conditions they live in.

Do the Angry Birds find their eggs and do they punish those who took their prized possession away? Of course, they did but not before going around the world and learning a lot about the different kinds of animals and what makes them stand out from the other animals in the same habitat.

Read on if you want to join the Angry Birds in their egg search and discover animals that you had no clue existed in the world!

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 19th, 2019