Jumanji

Van Allsburg, Chris. Jumanji. New York, N.Y. Houghton Mifflin, 1981

Jumunji, by Chris Van Allsburg is a children’s fantasy novel where siblings Judy and Peter are left home alone one afternoon while their parents go out. They find themselves bored and wander to the park finding a board game labeled “Jumanji.” They return home and begin playing, finding themselves in outrageous predicaments as they continue to roll the dice. The climax of the story occurs when the animals and lava surround the children and it’s essential for Judy to roll a twelve for the game to end. She lucky does and the chaos disappears before their parents arrive home.

Jumanji takes place in the house and park during the 1960/1970s and the main characters are Judy and Peter. Jumanji is told by the narrator in the third person which conveys the theme of always finishing what you start no matter the circumstances.

The illustrations are made with charcoal winning a Caldecott Medal Award in 1982. All the illustrations are only black and white and most contain the background with a grey gradient-pixel form. The use of surrealistic art and concepts engage the reader visually and mentally while pointing out significant objects on pages shown by size. Each illustration is unique and detailed, which help make this book come to life for its readers. Jumanji is targeted for young elementary school children because of the amount of surreal content. This book overall gives children an opportunity to expand their imaginations.