Jumanji

Van Allsburg, C. (1981). Jumanji. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

I seem to be sticking with the Chris Van Allsburg-book-made-into-movie theme this week, so I might as well go with it!  After being enchanted by The Polar Express, I picked up Jumanji.  I have not seen the movie, so I came in with no preconceived notions.  Unfortunately, the book was ok.  Not bad.  Not great.  Just ok.  I think the theme is something to the effect of “You should finish what you start even if the going gets tough,” but, unlike the other picture books I've read over the last couple of weeks, it was less clear.      

The plot of the book follows a brother and sister who are left to their own devices when their parents go to the opera.  The opera.  The parents have invited some people to come over to the house after the opera (really?  The opera?), so they ask the children to “please keep the house neat.”  They’re kids…but, fine, we’ll go with it.  Naturally, they get bored keeping the house neat, so they decide to go to the park across the street to play.  At the park, they discover an abandoned game called “Jumanji” that is “fun for some but not for all.”  They take the game home and read the directions which stipulate that “’ONCE A GAME OF JUMANJI IS STARTED IT WILL NOT BE OVER UNTIL ONE PLAYER REACHES THE GOLDEN CITY.’”  (The caps are in the book, I’m not yelling at you.)  These directions unfortunately prove to come true as each turn brings new “adventures” for the players – lions hunting the children, monkeys stealing food, a monsoon in the living room, and more.  They do eventually finish the game, but they did NOT keep the house neat!  What will their parents say when they return home from the opera with all of their friends who are undoubtedly TONS of fun?!  What will happen to the children?  Will they be sent to boarding school in Sweden as punishment for their childlike transgressions?  You’ll have to read the book to find out…   

As is always the case with Chris Van Allsburg’s books, his illustrations are beautiful.  In Jumanji, however, the illustrations are in black and white.  There is no note to indicate what media were used to create the drawings, but it looks to me like they are either pencil or charcoal.  With a jungle adventure game like Jumanji, I must say I would probably prefer color.  Perhaps, however, the monochromatic scheme requires readers to insert their own colors with their imaginations.  Regardless of my opinion on the color or lack thereof, the illustrations unequivocally complement the plot.  Without them, the story would very likely fall flat.  My favorite illustration is that of the rhinoceroses stampeding through the living room…I’m reminded of the proverbial bull in a china shop!   

I’ve been a little snarky, because I think the opera thing is funny. I realize that Van Allsburg is using this detail as a device to allow the reader to understand to what socio-economic status the characters belong. Knowing this information allowed me to create a vivid picture in my mind of the parents as well as the home in which this family resides. Overall, the book isn’t bad, but I don’t know that I’d put it at the top of my recommendation list for my sisters-in-law.

BIG QUESTION: Toward the end of the book, two new children pick up the game.  How do you think the adventure will turn out for them?  As a possible activity, students could write a sequel to Jumanji that follows the boys’ adventure.