Jumanji

=**Jumanji**= Written and Illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg //By Rachel Marlak//

__**Bibliographical Data **__ **Grade Level:** 1 - 4 **Hardcover:** 32 Pages
 * Jumanji **
 * Ages: **6 - 8 yrs.
 * Author and Illustrator: **Chris Van Allsburg
 * Publisher: **HMH Books for Young Readers 1981
 * ISBN: **978-0547608389
 * Language: **English

Judy and Peter are two children whose parents leave them alone for a day while they go to the opera. After their parents have left and the children have played with all their toys, they become bored and decide to go to the park, where they find a game in a box under a tree, called Jumanji: A Jungle Adventure Game,” with a note that reads, “Free game, fun for some but not for all. P.S. Read instructions carefully.” They take the game home and start to play, not paying much attention to the instructions. Each time the dice is rolled, they realize that whatever is stated on the space on the board where their piece lands materializes in their apartment. Before long, there is a lion, monkeys, a monsoon, a lost tour guide, a rhinoceros, a python, and a volcano eruption in their apartment, until Judy wins the game and shouts, “Jumanji,” wherein the apartment returns to normal. Peter and Judy quickly return the game to the place where they had found it, then return home and fall asleep. Later, they look out the window to see Daniel and Walter Budwing walking home, holding the game.
 * __Summary:__**

This is a truly fantastic story that appeals to both children and adults. The illustrations are absolutely stunning, and contribute to the creepy feeling that eludes from the text itself. Van Allsburg uses these illustrations to make a bizarre storyline incredibly lifelike and evocative, bringing his vivid descriptions to life, drawing the reader into the fantasy of the plot, and bringing out the setting, mood, and theme of the book.
 * __Review:__**

This particular story is within the genre of fantasy, and there are many elements used throughout by the author that help enhance it within this genre. One of these elements is plot development. Van Allsburg develops the plot in a systematic way, using foreshadowing and rising action to culminate the plot into a dramatic climax, before the falling action leads to the conclusion. For example, in the beginning of the story, when the children find the game, the note warning them that the game is "fun for some but not for all," is a foreshadowing technique that indicates the game will be trouble in some way. Then, as the story goes on, the situation becomes more and more chaotic, then when everything disappears at once, the reader knows that the plot has reached its climax and the falling action will follow. Because this progression happens so steadily and ends so quickly, this book can be very valuable in teaching students about plot development by identifying where in the story the elements of plot can be found. Another literary element that is used throughout the book is the method of illustration. The illustrations are magnificently drawn in black and white shading, are lifelike and dramatic, and, most importantly, are also drawn from the child's height perspective. Because of this, they allow the reader to experience the emotions of the children in the story with a stronger immediacy and draw the reader in to the story more fully. For example, the page with the rhinoceros shows the rhinos at a higher height level than the perspective of the person looking at them, making the reader feel as though they are about to be trampled, which is exactly as the children in the story feel. These illustrations make the story come to life, and make it more exciting to read than if the story were solely based on text. This element can be crucial in capturing a student's interest and helping them to see how words on a page can come to life.
 * __Analysis of Literary Elements:__**

Chris Van Allsburg was born in 1949 in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1972, before graduating with a master's degree in sculpture in 1975 from the Rhode Island School of Design. After graduation, Van Allsburg would sketch his ideas for sculpture. His wife thought they would make good illustrations for children’s books and showed them to a book editor, which began his career. He has written and illustrated twenty books of fantasy, that often challenge traditional children’s literature by incorporating darker sides of human nature. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration. He lives with his wife of 30 years, Lisa, in Providence, R.I.
 * __Author Biography:__**

[]
 * __Related Links:__ **

[|Information about the movie version of this book]

[|Teaching Ideas for the Story]