Module 2- Caldecott Award Winners: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

*Summary:

Jumanji is the story of a brother and sister named Peter and Judy who, on a boring, sunny day, come across an abandoned board game underneath a tree at the park. The two, rush back home to play the game, although they think the game looks rather dull. The game’s instructions have an ominous warning: “ONCE A GAME OF JUMANJI IS STARTED IT WILL NOT BE OVER UNTIL ONE PLAYER REACHES THE GOLDEN CITY.” Boy, are Peter and Judy surprised when the game comes to life and their house is filled with lions, monkeys, molten lava, pythons, and a monsoon! Thankfully, Peter finally reaches the golden city on the game board and when he shouts, “Jumanji!” everything goes back to normal. By the time Peter and Judy’s parents return home, there are no signs of the turmoil that the two have been through.

*Bibliography:

Allsburg, C. (1981). Jumanji. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co..

*My Rating:

As a kid I had watched the movie version of Jumanji, and honestly, until this course I had no idea that the movie was based on a book. This book is an enchanting story with beautiful illustrations. Children would love this book because it lets them escape from everyday life and use their imaginations. This book is a Caldecott Award winner, and I can see why. The story is very inventive, and unlike many other children’s picture books.

*Review:

Bored on a rainy Sunday afternoon, a brother and a sister in Van Allsburg's story get more than they bargained for when the board game they are playing comes to life. At the time Van Allsburg won his first Caldecott Medal, technological advances were just beginning to make full-color picture books the norm, so Jumanji stood out not just for its excellence but for its lack of color. The surreal illustrations were drawn with a Conté pencil, which is rougher than the standard graphite pencil and smoother than charcoal. While Van Allsburg was working on his drawings, he realized he could also use the dust that resulted from sharpening the Conté pencil. By dipping a piece of cheesecloth in the Conté dust and applying it to the surface of his drawing paper, he found he had more control over the gray tones and could fill in larger areas more quickly than he could with the point of his pencil. As Lynd Ward did with The Biggest Bear, Van Allsburg varies value to give his illustrations depth. He also varies perspective and angle in his illustrations to make viewers feel disoriented, like the world is just a little off center and out of whack.

Horning, K. T. (2012, 11). Jumanji. Book Links, 22, 13. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1146180383?accountid=7113

*Uses in a library:

A great way to get kids into the library is to provide high-interest programming. A librarian could plan a Board Game Day at the library and a quick, dramatic reading of Jumanji would be a great way to start the program. The librarian could also decorate the room with a rainforest theme.