A magic board game creates jungle-themed dangers.

2.5/4 (Okay).

It's reasonably fun, for something this mid-90's-kids-movie corny. ( )

The idea that children had to fulfill the commands of a board game in real life in nice. But it's a pity that they are repetitive as the Plagues of Egypt.
I liked that in the end all animals were drawn back in the board and that the grown-up pair saw the children, with whom they played the game, back in the 'real' time.
The change of the boy's attitude towards his father after his adventure was for me to abruptly and not believable. ( )

Peter and Judy, two bored siblings, find a board game called Jumanji under a tree in the park and decide to try it out. They had no idea what an adventure they were about to begin. There were two important stipulations: Read instructions carefully and once the game is started, it will not be over until one player reaches the golden city. As they begin to play and move through the jungle on the gameboard, they realize that the animals they land on come to life! They are confronted with dangerous lions, pythons, rhinos, monkeys and even tsetse flies. They can't stop the game until someone wins because they would have those dangerous animals with them permanently. They finally finish the game and are free from the danger. They return the game to the park and later delight to see some other boys, who "never read instructions or finish anything", picking up the game and running home with it.

I thought this was a fun book with wild imagination. I can see children thinking this is really possible! The illustrations by Chris Van Allsburg, the author, were beautiful. They were so detailed that they almost looked like photographs.

For an extension, a study of the different animals in the book might be fun.

Covering another gameboard with pictures of animals like in the book and playing the game like Peter and Judy did might make the kids feel like they were right there in the adventure! ( )

Jumanji is about children who find a board game, which looks harmless, but causes many different problems for the children.

I have always loved this book. The thought that the game brought a whole new world into ours is amazing. I think the imagination behind this book is wonderful! ( )