Jumanji

I've always admired the illustrations of Chris Van Allsburg. The illustrations in Jumanji are black and white, lending an eeriness about the story of a brother and sister who discover a board game.

Told they must play to the end, there is an element of fear and uncertainty as the descriptions become literal. When landing on a space that instructs that monkeys will steal food, real monkeys appear.

A host of very well drawn animals come alive, leading the reader to embrace the creativity of this book.

Audiobook performed by Robin Williams

Peter and Judy’s parents are going to a matinee, and they leave the children at home, with instructions to “keep the house neat,” as they’ll be bringing some guests back after the performance. Of course, they immediately make a mess with all their toys, but even that is boring after a while, so they head for the park. There they find a discarded board game – JUMANJI: A Jungle Adventure Game - and decide to take it home and play it. Fortunately, they DO read the instructions ….

What a flight of fancy and imagination! Oh, the thrill of being just a little naughty and pulling one over on the parents … followed by the sheer terror when you realize that you are going to get caught and most show more certainly severely punished. How can they possibly explain to Mother and Father about the rhinoceros stampede, or the monkeys in the kitchen, not to mention the python on the mantel and the torrential downpour that has soaked all the carpets.

Van Allsburg’s wonderful illustrations won the Caldecott Medal, and this was a well-deserved prize.

The 30th anniversary edition I got from the library has a surprise: an audio CD of the book, performed by Robin Williams. I confess that I listened to it twice! show less

This book is brilliant, and a classic for a good reason. Van Allsburg can do what no other author/illustrator can do by bringing even black and white pictures to life and giving each drawing raw emotion. His ability to play with shading, light, and perspective can be noticed by young and old alike. With subtle lessons such as how quickly order can be destroyed, to the obvious lesson of making sure to always read the instructions and finish what you started, readers are sure to get something out of this incredible book.

Jumanji is an adventurous and unique book that is sure to capture a young reader's imagination and take it stampeding away. Each page introduces a new problem and solution leaving little time for comfort and solution until the end of the book. The open ended conclusion to the book leaves the reader intrigued and curious. The sharp and entertaining illustrations give the reader the feeling of actually being inside the story.

We are watching the original movie again today, so I wanted to finally take a look at the book that started it all, and I have to say I am amazed by this gorgeous children's book!

The story itself is more of an obvious childish fancy within the story with the animals and elements showing up and causing a little light mayhem, but nothing that particularly inconveniences the kids and their game. It's more of the chaos and detritus the parents will discover, if it remains after the game is over.

I'm seriously impressed by how much original material went into the film script and the general tone and scale of the movie in general. It's a completely different animal and both are magical and very much their own things.

The art itself is something show more else! It's all in a black and white, almost photo realistic style with surrealistic elements that fill each illustration with disconcertingly visceral and bizarre whimsy that will delight children and wonderfully perturb adults. I truly recommend checking this book and/ or the art online because it truly is spectacular! show less

In my opinion, this is a more than above average book. The first thing I noticed that I enjoyed about this book is the incredibly realistic illustrations. It should be noted that this book is a Caldecotte Medal winner. The next part of the story I liked was the plot. The plot is well known to many but I especially enjoy the pages with the monkeys as they are especially mischievous. I think the moral of this story is that it is ok to be imaginative in moderation.

This book is one of my all time favorites. The way Van Allsburg uses dialogue between characters and detailed descriptions of each scene helps the reader make a movie in their mind. My students were captivated by the words and the pictures. They reread the book over and over again during indoor recess and dismissal. This imaginative story is great to use when teaching evoking images in a readers brain.

Bored one day as their parents went out, a brother and a sister find a board game outside under a tree. When they bring the game home they read the directions (thankfully!) and begin to play. The game comes to life inside their house as wild animals, monsoons, and a travel escort come to life in their living room. Thankfully they read the show more directions and know how to end the game before being attacked by a ferocious lion and a massive snake. They take the game back outside and pray to never see it again. Until their family friends find it... show less