Author and Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Type: Picture
Grade Level: 2-4
Rating: 4 out of 5
Peter and Judy are bored with all their games so they decide to give Jumanji, an ordinary enough looking game they find, a chance. Yet this book is far from ordinary! Soon the children are rushing through the game to rid their house of lions, monkeys and other jungle animals before their parents get home!
As I read this book I was filled with all sorts of emotions. I was worried for the children's safety, stressed by the continued appearance of dangerous creatures, anxious for them to finish the game and relieved when their parents came home to find them safe and sound. As a reader I felt the fear and stress the children felt because of their predicament. I couldn't put the book down because I was so caught up in the story and invested in the characters. It is the plot of the story and how each events follows another that causes me to feel as I do when I read (Peterson and Eeds). The tension in the story (Will they be alright!?) is what creates the suspense, nervousness and urgency inside me as I continue through the book.
For older students you could use this book to talk about the difference between books and the movies that are based on them. For example, the difference in character relationships, characters included (the movie has Robin Williams as a person who was trapped inside the game), the use of time, length (short book but long movie), etc. You could even use the book as a reinforcer to follow rules in the classroom. Luckily Peter and Judy follow directions but what about the two little boys that never follow rules that play the game after them? You could have a little fun here with that idea. Or else you can always just read the story in the classom because it is an enjoyable and intriguing read with beautiful Caldecott Award winning illustrations.
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