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Summary: Boy, I would love to play this game.
Review: This children's book is about two children who find a board game based on a jungle setting that actually comes "alive" when they begin playing it. The book was expanded and made into a film in 1995 starring Robin Williams (and a paperback novel with this same title was based on the screenplay of that film). This book won the 1982 Caldecott medal for best illustrations in a book for children. The reviewer of April, 1999, from the University of Delaware mentioned that some parents might be concerned of the "hint of evil will." Personally, I don't see any of that at all. When kids (and even adults) play board games, they can get really involved. This book is an expansion of that concept.
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Summary: A wonderfully creative picture book for all ages
Review: This is a fanastic picture book. The pictures capture the beauty of the words and it's a wonderful combination. I loved this book, even if the movie is more action-packed. This book is a real treasure.
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Summary: The Polar Express
Review: This is such a magical book. It really takes you back to your childhood and lets you imagination run wild. You get such a warm fuzzy feeling when reading this book. All the sweet memories of Christmas flutter into your head. It brings you back to your childhood and you remember believing. You believed in all the wonderful mysteries such as Santa Clause,the Easter Bunny, and even the Tooth Fairy. It is a wonderful thing for a child to believe in these things while they are young. Read this book to a child some evening and let them sleep dreaming of magical places.
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Summary: Original, dark fantasy story
Review: This story, about the havoc created by animals released by a game that children find, has been made into a popular movie. I think most of the people who watch the movie are unaware that this book existed first. My Mom always found it a bit disturbing though, and didn't like reading it to us. There is a distinct impression that the game is evil, or at least not interested in the people's well being. At the very least, it is creepy. So, I'd recommend that parents who are concerned about such things read it to themselves first, but I really think that kids enjoy the story, perhaps because of the hint of evil will. After all, good triumphs, so in that sense, this is a traditional type of story, even though the subject is quite original.
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Summary: Jumanji
Review: When two children are left home alone for the afternoon, they find a mysterious board game named "Jumanji: A Jungle Adventure" in the forest. As they begin to play, Peter lands on a spot marked "Lion attacks, move back two spaces." Judy has a look of horror on her face, when a real lion appears in the living room! Peter quickly manages to get the lion locked up in the bedroom. Judy then lands on "monkeys steal food" and finds live monkeys tearing apart the family's kitchen. The children go on to face other dangerous obstacles, including a rhinoceros stampede, during the course of the game. Read to find out if their adventure ever ends before the children's parents arrive home to a disaster!Van Allsburg won a Caldecott Medal for this wonderful story. The illustrations are done in grays with shading. The pictures of people, animals, and the setting are very realistic. Most of the pictures are at eye level, so the reader feels like he or she is in the house along with the characters. The story itself is so colorful and adventurous that the black and white pictures complement the mystical aspects of this fantastic story!
Rating: 
Summary: Jumanji
Review: When two children are left home alone for the afternoon, they find a mysterious board game named "Jumanji: A Jungle Adventure" in the forest. As they begin to play, Peter lands on a spot marked "Lion attacks, move back two spaces." Judy has a look of horror on her face, when a real lion appears in the living room! Peter quickly manages to get the lion locked up in the bedroom. Judy then lands on "monkeys steal food" and finds live monkeys tearing apart the family's kitchen. The children go on to face other dangerous obstacles, including a rhinoceros stampede, during the course of the game. Read to find out if their adventure ever ends before the children's parents arrive home to a disaster! Van Allsburg won a Caldecott Medal for this wonderful story. The illustrations are done in grays with shading. The pictures of people, animals, and the setting are very realistic. Most of the pictures are at eye level, so the reader feels like he or she is in the house along with the characters. The story itself is so colorful and adventurous that the black and white pictures complement the mystical aspects of this fantastic story!
Rating:
Summary: Jumanji
Review: When two children are left home alone for the afternoon, they find a mysterious board game named "Jumanji: A Jungle Adventure" in the forest. As they begin to play, Peter lands on a spot marked "Lion attacks, move back two spaces." Judy has a look of horror on her face, when a real lion appears in the living room! Peter quickly manages to get the lion locked up in the bedroom. Judy then lands on "monkeys steal food" and finds live monkeys tearing apart the family's kitchen. The children go on to face other dangerous obstacles, including a rhinoceros stampede, during the course of the game. Read to find out if their adventure ever ends before the children's parents arrive home to a disaster! Van Allsburg won a Caldecott Medal for this wonderful story. The illustrations are done in grays with shading. The pictures of people, animals, and the setting are very realistic. Most of the pictures are at eye level, so the reader feels like he or she is in the house along with the characters. The story itself is so colorful and adventurous that the black and white pictures complement the mystical aspects of this fantastic story!
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