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4th out of 756 books
—
3,429 voters
Jumanji
The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peters and Judy had at home. But they were bored and restless and, looking for something interesting to do, thought they'd give Jumanji a try. Little did they know when they unfolded its ordinary-looking playing board that they were about to be plunged into the most exciting and bizare adventure of their lives.
In his sec...more
In his sec...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
April 27th 1981
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
(first published April 1981)
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“Jumanji” is a Caldecott Award- winning book by Chris Van Allsburg and is the most popular children’s book out of all of his books. In this story, two children, Peter and Judy, discover a strange looking board game and they soon realize that this board game is more dangerous then they thought. “Jumanji” is clearly one of the most inventive and intense children’s book that will surely make children read it for a long time.
Chris Van Allsburg is excellent at illustrating and writing this classic c...more
Chris Van Allsburg is excellent at illustrating and writing this classic c...more
I love the choice of the black and white illustrations of this book. Although Van Allsburg is known for this style of illustration in his books, I think he really uses it to his advantage in Jumanji. For example, note the shading from page to page. The second page, where the children leave the house and encounter the board game, the shading is much darker and provides a more ominous feeling that page before Peter and Judy say goodbye to their parents.
When the lion appears on the piano, not only...more
When the lion appears on the piano, not only...more
After seeing the movie over a million times I have nevr actually read the book. I must say I almost like this version better. The pictures reall make the scenes of the book come alive all though there is no color. With all the colors done in a gray tone it really gives the book an eary feeling too it, and giving the readers some suspense. Van Allsburg does a really good job at munipulating the angles of pictures even if they are not correct, such as when we are looking at the two boys by the tre...more
I would have to say that Jumanji is one of my all time favorite books!! I love how the illustrator used black and white in the entire book. The pictures have a pop to them and they look so real. When reading the book and looking at the pictures you feel that you are actually inside the book and experiencing what is happening in the story by the details they give you. It is a thriller because you do not know what is going to happen next. I like how at the end of the book two little boys pick up t...more
Many of us are familiar with the story of "Jumanji" thanks to Robin Williams and the movie. However, this book is just as thrilling to read, as the movie was to watch. The book is written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. He does a wonderful job of using text and illustrations to bring the story to life. Even with his black and white illustrations, he is able to create magic on every page. This is a story about two siblings who are left home alone for the day and discover a game outside und...more
This is a story about two children, Peter and Judy, who play a game called Jumanji, going on a wild adventure in their home. The illustrations are in black and white with great detail done through shading. The characters’ expressions are portrayed well enough so that readers can understand their feelings as soon as they see the page (i.e. Judy showed shock when she saw the monkeys in the kitchen). The words are always on the left side while the images are on the right, allowing readers to focus...more
Although the illustrations in this book are black and white, Chris Van Allsburg received the Caldecott medal for Jumanji because the art is truly exceptional even without color. He captures the realistic aspects of each scene, but also incorporates the fictional elements to successfully accompany the text. Because of the heavy text, I would recommend this book to older children. Even though this book contains a lot of words, the plot was so intense and fluid that it did not interfere with the en...more
When I was around 10 years old, I literally watched the movie for Jumanji all the time. I loved the fantasy of the storyline, and the fact that all the adventure and danger that came with playing what the children thought was just a “plain, old” boardgame. Peter and Judy are two young children who are easily bored and seem to restlessly seek fun and adventure. Although the story in this book is not as elaborate and dramatic as the movie, it was still just as wonderful. The unexpected and dangero...more
Peter and Judy are left home alone one evening while their parents attend the opera. They quickly become bored and venture outside to play in a nearby park. While there, they discover a game called Jumanji and take it home to play. It seems right up there alley as it's intended for those who are bored. They quickly learn that they game is unlike any that they have played--with each role of the dice, the jungle comes to life. Lions and monkeys appear in their house, even a tour guide who appears...more
Very important…once a game of Jumanji is started it will not be over until one player reaches the golden city. When Judy and Peter’s parents leave for the opera, boredom is not the only thing these two kids have to worry about. With one swift roll of the dice from the jungle adventure game Jumanji, Judy and Peter’s world turns upside down. A lion on the piano, monkeys in the kitchen, Monsoons and a lost guide are some of the crazy happenings Jumanji produces. Can Judy and Peter finish the game b...more
This book gets a 5 stars for its illustrations alone. Although all in black and white, Chris Van Allsburg does an amazing job making his story come to life just through the pictures.
The book tells a story of a brother and sister who ate bored with all of their toys and want to find something more interesting. They go to the park and end up finding a box with a game. Jumanji. The game is unlike anything they had played before but comes with very specific rules that the game will not end unless p...more
The book tells a story of a brother and sister who ate bored with all of their toys and want to find something more interesting. They go to the park and end up finding a box with a game. Jumanji. The game is unlike anything they had played before but comes with very specific rules that the game will not end unless p...more
Sep 20, 2012
Barbara
added it
Jumanji is a great book about a couple kids who find a board game after there parents go out for a while. After they begin playing the game they find out it is nothing like they expected. Every move has clue as to what is going to happen, one more dangerous than the other. The game quickly turns there house into a mess, lions, monkeys in the kitchen, crazy situations that scare them but it wont end until the game is over. After finally going through so many different situations the game is final...more
This book takes you into a world on fantasy and fun. Where animals come to life and the characters must play a game to survive. I feel this is one of Chris Van Allsburg's greatest books. WHen I read this, it took me out of my world and into the story line. I love how this book was made into a movie, but little do people realize the illustrations in the book are directly in the movie. This is a Caldecott award winning book that is brought to our life in the movie theaters. I can completely see wh...more
I have known about the movie Jumangi for years, but I just recently discovered that it was first a book when talking about Caldecott winners in my children's literature class this week. I had no idea that the movie was based on a children's book and it was written by Chris Van Allsburg. From seeing the movie over and over, I compared the book the it in my head the whole time. However, keeping the movie out of my mind, it's still a great story! Of course Hollywood always puts their own spins on t...more
Sep 19, 2012
Erica Johnson
added it
Jumanji stars with Judy and Peter's parents leaving for the night. They are told to keep the house neat because there were guests coming over after the opera. Judy and Peter begin playing with their toys and end up leaving the house because they were bored. While out away from home they came across a board game called Jumanji, a young people's jungle adventure especially designed for the bored and restless. There are important instructions with this game that read once you start the game you MUS...more
When Peter and Judy's parents head to the opera and leave the children to their own devices for the afternoon, the children's excitement quickly turns to boredom. This changes when they find what appears to be an ordinary board game labeled "Jumanji" sitting under a tree in the park. A note taped to the box warns them to read the instructions. Mildly curious, the children take the game home. When they halfheartedly begin to play, it becomes immediately apparent that they are dealing with a very...more
The illustrations in this book are absolutely stunning. All of the pictures are in black and white, but incredibly detailed and amazing. There is so much detail that the images look real, as if you could step right into the game. I think that Chris Van Allsburg illustrated the book like this so that the reader felt like this game could exist, that they could be there playing a game where lions and monkeys come to life. I had watched the movie long before I read the book and the thing that stood...more
Jumanji is the classic and timeless Chris Van Allsburg story of a magical and mysterious board game and the adventure it brings to two young siblings. I remember reading this book as a child and instantly loving the concept. I imagined how exciting it would be to find my own Jumanji game under a tree and begin to play, unsure of what adventures and heart pounding situations it would bring. Even as an adult reading this book I still feel a twinge of this same excitement as I flip the pages, wonde...more
Jumanji is a story about a brother and sister who are left alone one afternoon and have to find a way to entertain themselves. Becoming quickly bored with their toys, they go to the park where they find a board game sitting under a tree with a note advising the players to read the directions. They bring it home with them and read the directions as advised, which warns them that once the game is started it cannot stop until someone wins. The children encounter many bizarre scenarios when they lan...more
Sep 06, 2012
Melissa Gross
added it
Jumanji by Chris Van Alsburg is a children fantasy book that takes the reader on an adventure through a game that could never have been taken before. Who children, Judy and Peter, are left home alone one day and decide to take a walk. On this walk they find a game labeled Jumanji. Taking it back home they decide to play it, only to find out how too real this game really is. When a lion appears on their first turn, they would like to stop but cannot for the lion would not go away until someone wo...more
I really enjoyed Jumanji. I didn't even know that it was a book until a few years ago. (I grew up watching the movie). When I did find out that it was a book, I assumed that it was a chapter book, since the movie was a full length film with a pretty involved plot. That being said, I thought that the children's book was really great. It was much more simple than the movie, but it still had a fun and adventurous feel to it. Just as in the movie, I love the premise of a board game coming to life, a...more
This book written with such creativity was about a boy and a girl, brother and sister who are left at home while their parents leave to go to an opera show. The experience the typical feeling of being bored at home with their regular toys and go out to the park to find something to do. Little do they know that what they find will bring them an unforgettable adventure into the world of jumanji. They have to read the rules carefully because the instructions are once you start the game you must fin...more
Jumanji is an illustrated short story and fantasy tale, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. Jumanji is a combination of the words jungle and magic. Protagonists, two children, Peter and Judy, are left at home for an evening they find a board game in a nearby park. This game is called Jumanji. An instruction that comes with the game, stuck to the box warns the player/players to read instructions carefully. Out of curiosity and boredom they decide to take it home with them. When they op...more
The story jumanji was written by Chris van Alls burg. This book is about a board game found that makes strange things happen. The story begins with two children names peter and Judy. They were left home alone while their parents went out. Their parents told them to keep the house neat, but they did not and they made a mess. The children soon got board and they went outside to play. As the children were playing outside they found a game titled Jumanji. The children talked and they decided to take...more
Jumanji is orientated in a landscape fashion, which seems unusual due to the fact that it is mostly a portrait book. The lack of a "landscape" subject causes on to assume it would be done in a portrait landscape. The illustrations are very realistic and are done in what appears to be pencil. The illustrations are in black and white with a mixture of thin lines, thick lines, circular lines, and diagonal lines. There are a lot of straight edges. The text is located on the left hand side of the pag...more
After first observing the book, I observed that the story was set up in a landscape format. I believe this is because the book contains many detailed images and scenery. The illustrations are all black and white, which give the book a more serious mood. The illustrations also contain a lot of shading, which adds to the creepy and mysterious tone of the story. The font is also enclosed within a boarder on its own page, set apart from the illustrations. I believe this enables the reader to focus o...more
To start off, this book's color scheme is black and white. I think that this fits the book because of the time era it seems to perceive when it is being read, for example - in the beginning, the Mother and Father figure (face never shown) are going out and leaving the children behind. There are borders in this story, to have the effect of looking into the adventure of these two kids playing an extraordinary board-game. The orientation of the book is landscape, to show the elaborate scenes that a...more
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg is a story about two young children playing a board game when they are bored and home alone. This board game has strict and specific directions, telling the players of the game that the game will not be over until one player reaches the golden city. The two children, Judy and Peter, begin to play and are surprised by this outrageous and unique game. Overall, this was a very exciting and interesting story. The idea and concept for the story is unique; there is a movi...more
The front cover of Jumanji is very appealing and interesting. There were monkeys ravaging a kitchen. The illustrations throughout the book were in black and white but had great detail and were given an entire page to capture the action. By allowing the illustration to cover a whole page and having the text on the other have of the page allow for great detail. The story is about two siblings who are left alone for afternoon and are looking for fun. They find an interesting board game in the park...more
Jumanji is a picture book intended for primary readers. It has won The Caldecott Medal. In this book two young children stumble upon a board game, but it's no ordinary board game. The events in the board game come to life. Events in the book range from a stampede to a hungry lion. The children must try and stay alive on their adventure to finish the game.
I rated this book four stars because it was an very exciting adventure book. One thing that I did not like about the book was that the illust...more
I rated this book four stars because it was an very exciting adventure book. One thing that I did not like about the book was that the illust...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An unexpected adventure . | 1 | 3 | Feb 01, 2013 04:39pm | |
| Chris Van Allsburg | 2 | 7 | Mar 26, 2012 09:32pm |
Chris was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 18, 1949, the second child of Doris Christiansen Van Allsburg and Richard Van Allsburg. His sister Karen was born in 1947.
Chris’s paternal grandfather, Peter, owned and operated a creamery, a place where milk was turned into butter, cream, cottage cheese, and ice cream. It was named East End Creamery and after they bottled the milk (and made the ot...more
More about Chris Van Allsburg...
Chris’s paternal grandfather, Peter, owned and operated a creamery, a place where milk was turned into butter, cream, cottage cheese, and ice cream. It was named East End Creamery and after they bottled the milk (and made the ot...more
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Nov 22, 2009 06:01pm