Module 3: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

Module 3: Caldecott Winners

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

Van Allsburg, C. (1981). Jumanji. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Plot Summary:
Two siblings, Peter and Judy, venture into the park while their parents are away. In the park, laying against a tree is a board game called Jumanji with a note saying, "Free game, fun for some but not for all. P.S. Read instructions carefully." They race home and set up the game. Judy reads the instructions, which are all simple enough except for the last. It reads, "D. VERY IMPORTANT: ONCE A GAME OF JUMANJI IS STARTED TI WILL NOT BE OVER UNTIL ONE PLAYER REACHES THE GOLDEN CITY." Thinking nothing of it, the children begin the game. 

After Peter's first turn, they know something is different about the game. Whatever happens in the game happens in real life. Turn by turn the game comes to life: a lion, a dozen monkeys, a monsoon, a jungle guide, a herd of rhinos, an eight-foot snake, and molten lava. Finally Judy yells out, "Jumanji!" and wins the game. With that, everything disappears and returns to normal. Quickly, the siblings dart out of the house and back to the park. They leave the game under the tree again and speed home. Filled with exhaustion, they eventually fall asleep while completing a puzzle. 

They are woken up later by their parents. Peter hastily tried to tell their parents what has happened, but he is dismissed with laughter. They go upstairs to get ready for bed before joining their parents in the den to finish the puzzle. The children later see outside that tow boys, Danny and Walter, are carrying the mysterious box home. 

Impressions:

The illustrations really did it for me in Jumanji. There was so much detail, despite the lack of color. For me, the drawings told so much more story that the text did. You could visualize the story even if you didn't read any of it. However, the text was also impactful. I really enjoyed Van Allsburg's use of sensory elements. He described sounds so vividly that you could envision it clearly. Jumanji is like watching a black and white silent film. 

Reviews:

Horn Book reviews of Caldecott Medal winners, 1980-1989 - The Horn Book. (2013, October 14). Retrieved  from http://www.hbook.com/2013/10/news/awards/horn-book-reviews-caldecott-medal-winners-1980-1989/#_

"Substance or shadow, real or imagined, the bizarre and mythical world of Jumanji exists because of its own logic and the luminous precision of the full-page, black-and-white illustrations. Through the masterly use of light and shadow, the interplay of design elements, and audacious changes in perspective and composition, the artist conveys an impression of color without losing the dramatic contrast of black and white. As in The Garden of Abdul Gasazi (Houghton), he successfully explores the semimagical country of the the mind in which reality and illusion exist as conjoined yet distinct entities."

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/jumanji#cart/cleanup

"His marvelous drawings beautifully convey a mix of the everyday and the extraordinary, as a quiet house is taken over by an exotic jungle."

Library Use Suggestions: 

Media Tie-In Display

One of the advantages of a book being made into a movie is that it can act as a resurgence for the book. The Jumanji movie came out in the early 1990s, but it still remains a frequent film on television and people still show it to their children. As a fan of Robin Williams, I definitely try to push this film whenever I get a chance. At my library, we often do displays that incorporate promoting books that have been made into movies. This picture book would be a perfect example for a younger group. In addition, you could probably snag Robin Williams fans to read it to their children, even if the kids have yet to see the film. 

Art Lesson

Chris Van Allsburg's illustrations show so much depth with his use of shading. The entire book is in black and white and yet is shows so much texture and life. I definitely think this could be used as an example on how to show texture and shading in your art.