Jumanji 30th Anniversary Edition

Bought for my Niece. She likes books because she likes to read. She hasn't said if she likes this book or not but I'm assuming she does, otherwise she would have said something, because she complains a lot.

Look carefully when ordering this. I needed Jumanji for a class and I thought this was it, but it's a book based on the MOVIE not the way the book was originally written. If you really love the movie and want a book based on it, then get it but if you want the original work, move on.

While the Jumanji is a great story, and the illustrations still look great on the Kindle Fire display, the text is too small. Even with text-pop up. I have no problem with the book, just the way it is displayed on Kindle. I would stick with the hard copy on this one.

For summer reading requirements, my son has to read 4 books by Chris Van Allsburg. This book is NOT the book by the original author. It is a NOVELIZATION based on a SCREENPLAY based on a SCREEN STORY which is based on the original book. This is not explained in the description.

book was said to be in acceptable condition which was definitely poor. binding was completely bent and almost ripped when I opened the book. Had writing on the inside from a little kid along with the outside binding having pieces missing on the top layer. Not worth returning it so I'll just take my loss.

Board games are definitely a great way to have fun. They are filled with funnylooking game pieces, cards that tell where your piece will go, and they'll take to a different world. But has a board game ever come alive in front of your eyes? That's what happens with a brother and a sister who are trying to fight off boredom.
In Chris Van Allsburg's award-winning book, two siblings are trying to find something to do while their parents are out. But when their toys fail to keep them satisfied, they go to the park and find a tall thin box that holds a board game. So when they decide to play the board game, and they learn the game involves a golden city. But when they read the game's warning that once the game starts and that one player must reach the golden city to win, they're in for more than a rude awakening.
This book is no doubt a wonderful and whimsical books for all ages. It starts off in a steady pace, but it finally brings you to the excitement. The illustrations done by Allsburg are just incredible and so lifelike. The books also shows kids that board games can sometimes bring you to a different world. In the end, kids will have fun and will definitely enjoy the world of Jumanji.

Jumanji , written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, is a beautifully illustrated fantasy picture book. The story is captivating and achieves the perfect balance of a creative, intriguing plot and the opportunity for readers to use their imaginations to interpret the mystery within the plot and illustrations. Chris Van Allsburg is known for his imaginative stories and thought-provoking, complex illustrations to complement the text. He has always been one of my favorite authors and illustrators because I have never read one of his books without getting into the story and using my imagination to interpret the pictures.
My favorite Van Allsburg book is The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, a postmodern book with no words. The illustrations are very mysterious and serve as clues with which the reader can create his/her own story for every picture. This book is my favorite because it epitomizes Van Allsburg’s emphasis on creative thinking and the importance of imagery. His approach to illustrations is almost like cinematography; the pictures look like snapshots from a movie with artistic and unique camera angles. This is so true that many of his books have been made into movies (including Jumanji, Zathura, and The Polar Express).
The story of Jumanji is captivating in its uniqueness and combination of realistic fiction and fantasy. The events in the plot are fantastical and indicate a magical element, but many parts of the plot are relatable for children. This combination leads the reader to become personally invested in the story that unfolds. The book starts with a brother and sister named Peter and Judy trying to figure out how to fight their boredom when their parents go to the opera and leave them home. They go outside to play and walk to the park, where they find a board game called “Jumanji.” The children take the game home and set it up. Judy reads the instructions, which end by saying, “Very important: Once a game of Jumanji is started it will not be over until one player reaches the Golden City” (10). The kids think nothing of it and start playing the game, expecting it to be boring despite the fact that the things the game says will happen are very extreme and dangerous. They soon discover that whatever the game says will happen actually does happen (starting with a lion attack in the house). Similarly unusual, somewhat terrifying events quickly unfold and the children realize they must finish the game in order for it all to go away. Judy ends up winning the game, and everything disappears as the room fills with steam followed by a cool breeze. Judy and Peter’s parents come home with guests, and the book ends with their friends’ children (who never read instructions) carrying the Jumanji game away with them.
Jumanji is set up with a page of text followed by a page of black and white, highly detailed illustration. This gives the reader an opportunity to analyze the plot as it unfolds. Van Allsburg leaves several questions unanswered. For example, we do not know if the events in the game actually happen, or if they are in the children’s imaginations. The ending also alludes to what could happen when more children play the game without realizing they will be stuck in it until they finish. It almost seems like the game is a curse that gets passed from one group of bored children to the next, which creates an element of mystery. Children are left to wonder if such a game could exist. Van Allsburg does not shy away from elevated, descriptive language or complex ideas, using a strong relationship between text and pictures to strengthen and convey the story.
The book is relatable and applicable to all children in terms of its general themes and the emotions it provokes. Every child gets bored when there is nothing to do and will probably explore possible games to play. They are especially likely to seek adventures when there is no parental supervision. Many kids also don’t like reading instructions (I know I never have). That said; the relatable aspect of the book is limited in that the children are part of a stereotypical white, wealthy, nuclear family. Many children may not identify with the idea of parents going off to the opera and bringing guests back to entertain while the children have freedom to play games and safely walk around outside. Additionally, the book is set in the past, making the family dynamics somewhat outdated. Despite these limitations, the important themes from the book can still reach most children because the emphasis is not on the personal lives of the characters but on the experiences they have with a game and the logical emotional responses they have to said experiences. Therefore, I would recommend this book to children of all ages and demographics. Whether the book is read to younger children or read by older children, it is easy to understand and children’s understanding can develop as they get older and interpret the book in different and more complex ways.

Peter and Judy, like many other children, find themselves bored when their parents leave them home alone (yikes!) to go to the opera. They go for a walk where they come upon a board game. They take it home and decide to play it, but only after wise and sensible Judy reads the instructions first. The game, Jumanji, is unlike any game they've ever played, for this board game literally comes alive with each roll of the dice! A lion chases hapless Peter up the stairs into the bedroom, monkeys cavort in the kitchen, and rhinoceros stampede through the house. Will Peter and Judy be able to survive this board game and end it before it's too late?

There is a high sense of adventure in this book which is further enhanced by the illustrations by writer/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg. Even though the illustrations are in black and white, the attention to detail is impressive and draws the reader into the narrative. It is not only a great story but a wonderful picture book that will delight readers of all ages.

Chris Van Allsburg used to be my favorite picture book artist, and in many ways he remains so to this day. And it's books like, "Jumanji" that remind me why I love his work as strongly as I do. For some reason, Van Allsburg's picture books are so popular and so evocative that they are continually adapted into full screen motion pictures. "Polar Express" has just been turned into a computer animated extravaganza, and "Jumanji" was a Robin Williams vehicle once. Just the same, nothing compares to the original tale. Using his uber-realistic illustrations to highlight how incredibly bizarre the storyline is, this book is fully worthy of the 1982 Caldecott Medal it was awarded.

Peter and Judy have been left home alone by their opera going parents and boy are they boredy bored bored. After playing with their toys and making a mess they decide to take a run to the park. Once there, they discover an abandoned board game called Jumanji sitting beneath a tree. On a note taped to the bottom of the box read the words, "Free game, fun for some but not for all. P.S. Read instructions carefully". The kids don't know what to expect but they take the game with them anyway. After reading the instructions they find that once a person begins Jumanji they cannot stop until someone has won the game. The first roll of the die leads to a space that reads, "Lion attacks, move back two spaces". Suddenly there's a real live lion in the room, and it's regarding Peter hungrily. The kids realize, to their horror, that whatever happens on the board happens in real life. If they want to finish the game (and remain alive) they're going to have to continue.

The book really plays on the old idea of "when the parents are out the kids will get up to all kinds of unwitting mischief". There's a lot in this story that's similar to "The Cat in the Hat". Two bored kids. The magical entity that destroys their home but (undeniably) occupies their time. Getting everything cleaned up before mom and dad walk in the door. You get the idea. The story is surreal and skirts the edges of the disturbing. With illustrations created with Conte dust and Conte pencils, Van Allsburg makes the pictures especially realistic. You can make out every strand on Peter's head or observe delicate details on the rubber bands holding together Judy's braids. As a child, I was always fascinated with realistic images of fantastical situations. Van Allsburg fits this bill perfectly.

"Jumanji" was later given a sequel of sorts entitled, "Zathura". I haven't read it myself, but I think my loyalties will always lie with the original. There's something about Van Allsburg's clean lines and startled expressions that really chill the reader to the bone. If you have a child that likes to be ever so slightly freaked out from time to time, I can't think of any picture book artist that does a better job of this than the master of the pencil drawing: Chris Van Allsburg. And "Jumanji" is his masterpiece.

I believe this book is spectacular. First, I like how it has magic. Second, I love animals a lot and it has a lot of animals. Finally, it's based on a board game because I love board games. All in all, this book is amazing.

Have there ever been monkeys jumping around in your kitchen, or a lion destroying your bedroom, with a huge volcano irrupting in your house? Was there ever a large stampede of rhinos running crazy in your living room? Well that is what happens to Judy and Peter in the sensational book, Jamanji. When they were both left home alone, Judy and Peter got really bored. They decide to take a stroll in the park. On their way to the park, they discover a game named "Jamanji" sitting under a tree. They take it home and immediately start to play. All of the sudden, the creatures from the game came to life, in their very own house! How will Peter and Judy get this jungle cleaned up before their parents come home? Will they clean up in time? This book is a great mystery for kids' ages 4 to12. It has a great plot and brings wonderful excitement to the reader. Each topic makes you eager to read more and find out the result of the mystery.

This story, about the havoc created by animals released by a game that children find, has been made into a popular movie. I think most of the people who watch the movie are unaware that this book existed first. My Mom always found it a bit disturbing though, and didn't like reading it to us. There is a distinct impression that the game is evil, or at least not interested in the people's well being. At the very least, it is creepy. So, I'd recommend that parents who are concerned about such things read it to themselves first, but I really think that kids enjoy the story, perhaps because of the hint of evil will. After all, good triumphs, so in that sense, this is a traditional type of story, even though the subject is quite original.

This children's book is about two children who find a board game based on a jungle setting that actually comes "alive" when they begin playing it. The book was expanded and made into a film in 1995 starring Robin Williams (and a paperback novel with this same title was based on the screenplay of that film). This book won the 1982 Caldecott medal for best illustrations in a book for children. The reviewer of April, 1999, from the University of Delaware mentioned that some parents might be concerned of the "hint of evil will." Personally, I don't see any of that at all. When kids (and even adults) play board games, they can get really involved. This book is an expansion of that concept.

When two children are left home alone for the afternoon, they find a mysterious board game named "Jumanji: A Jungle Adventure" in the forest. As they begin to play, Peter lands on a spot marked "Lion attacks, move back two spaces." Judy has a look of horror on her face, when a real lion appears in the living room! Peter quickly manages to get the lion locked up in the bedroom. Judy then lands on "monkeys steal food" and finds live monkeys tearing apart the family's kitchen. The children go on to face other dangerous obstacles, including a rhinoceros stampede, during the course of the game. Read to find out if their adventure ever ends before the children's parents arrive home to a disaster!
Van Allsburg won a Caldecott Medal for this wonderful story. The illustrations are done in grays with shading. The pictures of people, animals, and the setting are very realistic. Most of the pictures are at eye level, so the reader feels like he or she is in the house along with the characters. The story itself is so colorful and adventurous that the black and white pictures complement the mystical aspects of this fantastic story!

Jumanji is a wonderful picture book, written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. For those of you who've seen the 1995 movie and are expecting the spectacle of incredible and intricate visuals, you're in for a bit of a surprise. Don't be shocked by the lack of Robin Williams, either.

The books illustrations really are quite beautiful. From page one, we see Judy and Peter in (in my opinion, shockingly) black and white, and drawn in very realistic style. Their parents are off to the opera, and the children have the house all to themselves for the afternoon. After a brief stint with their usual toys, the children get bored and decide to head to the park across the street. There, underneath a tree, they find a box marked Jumanji. Peter is sure someone left it there because the game must be boring, but Judy convinces him to bring it home. This really is the theme of the book: boredom. That is to say, it shows the invalidity of boredom when we have a gift as wonderful as the imaginative mind. Prior to finding this magical game that brings the dangers of the jungle right into their living room, the kids are looking for something to entertain them. Through the game, the children's imaginations spring to life. In fact, by the end of the book, the reader is not entirely sure the children did not imagine their whole afternoon. Their parents certainly think they did.

It is those previously mentioned realistic illustrations that create such an interesting juxtaposition between the story's fanciful plot and reality. It is as though the book is showcasing a child's imagination at its finest. The black and white monotony combined with a fantastical lion in the living room, or a stampede running through the halls instills in the reader the belief that their imagination really is the very best toy. Jumanji is the equivalent of "Baby's First Science Fiction."

In the same magical vein, Chris Van Allsburg has created the Christmas favorite, The Polar Express, as well as 21-years-post sequel to Jumanji, Zathura, about a board game that transports its players into space.

Having seen the movie remake prior to reading the book, I really only had one complaint. The children are faced with challenge after challenge, yet each threat ceases to endanger them once they move on to the next card. The monkeys that were destroying the kitchen behave themselves once the dice are rolled. Peter's "sleeping disease" only lasts for about 30 seconds. It feels as if there is no climactic issue, but rather just a series of problems the children overcome one by one. That's all well and good, but I really felt that the book would benefit from one extremely large problem, or at least a build up of disaster, rather than the staccato experience Judy and Peter witness.

That being said, it is a picture book for children, and is designed to only hold the reader's attention for so long. Due that fact, I would suggest this book for children ages 6 to 8. Parents, don't worry; the beautiful illustrations and continual allusion to childhood wonderment will certainly capture your interest as well.

Jumanji and Zathura are exciting books. Jumanji and Zathura go go together well. They are both exciting. In Jumanji a boy and a girl find a game and play. When they are done they put it back where they found it. Then two boys take the game. They think Jumanji looks boring, but tucked inside the Jumanji box they find Zathura. Then there is a lot of action. These two books are awesome! I highly recommend them to kids of all ages. -SB

This should be the first book that you should get because it is probably the best way to describe a game that practically comes alive. It's impossible for animals to appear out of nowhere and for it to rain in the house, but this book is really good. I hope that you like it! -Sean, Nantucket, MA

Beaucoup board game beasties.

A silly kid's adventure after a game that is brought home gets a bit more real than virtual, and it isn't even your computer game Tron type deal. A basic board game as magical artifact and transport to adventure and danger, etc. Not really that interesting, but bearable enough for that sort of thing.

After reading the book Jumanji, I first notice how different the book is compare to the movie. When I was younger I loved sitting on the couch and laugh at how entertaining the movie was. After reading this book, it seems a little boring, to be honest. The one thing I will admit is that the illustration and writing of Chris Van Allsburg is amazing. The art work is so unique compare to other children books, the illustration are all drawn in black and white. The writing does bring the story to life and excitement to the reader's imagination but in my opinion read the book first and then watches the movie, not the other way around.

Jumanji is an exhilarating book. Itis a fiction book and fiction books are better than nonficiton because when somebody tells you the truth it`s not fun. Another reason I liked Jumanji is because Chris Van Allsburg writes pretty good books and his pictures are breathtaking.

Jumanji is an exhilarating book. Itis a fiction book and fiction books are better than nonficiton because when somebody tells you the truth it`s not fun. Another reason I liked Jumanji is because Chris Van Allsburg writes pretty good books and his pictures are breathtaking.