Jumanji (picture book) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jumanji

Author	Chris Van Allsburg
Illustrator	Chris Van Allsburg
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Children's, fantasy novel
Publisher	Houghton Mifflin
Publication date	1981
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	32
ISBN	0-395-30448-2
OCLC	7196761
Dewey Decimal	[Fic] 19
LC Class	PZ7.V266 Ju
Followed by	Zathura

Jumanji is a popular fantasy children's picture book. It was written and illustrated by the American author Chris Van Allsburg in 1981. The story is about a magical board game. When you play the game, animals and jungle events come to life in the real world!

A sequel to the book, called Zathura, came out in 2002. The Jumanji book also inspired a 1995 film and a whole franchise. This includes three more movies and an animated TV show.

The actor Robin Williams, who starred in the 1995 Jumanji film, once said "jumanji" is a Zulu word. He thought it meant "many effects," but this has not been proven. In 2011, Robin Williams recorded an audiobook version for the book's 30th anniversary.

The Story of Jumanji

The book's story begins with two children, Judy and Peter Shepherd. Their parents are out for the day. After playing with their toys, Judy and Peter get bored. They decide to go to the park to find something new to do.

At the park, they discover an old board game. It is called Jumanji, and it looks like a jungle adventure. They take the game home. Inside, they find a scary warning message. It says, "Do not begin unless you intend to finish."

Ignoring the warning, Judy and Peter start to play. They quickly learn that the game is truly magical. Any dangers that happen in the game suddenly appear in their house! For example, Peter rolls the dice and lands on a lion. A real lion then appears in their living room! Judy and Peter manage to trap the lion in their mother's bedroom.

The game continues, and more wild things happen. Judy rolls a stampede, and a real stampede of animals rushes through their house. Peter rolls a monsoon, and their house fills with water. Judy rolls an explorer, and a real explorer appears, causing more chaos. Even with all this trouble, they keep playing. They hope that if they finish the game, everything will go back to normal.

Finally, the game ends when Judy rolls a twelve. She shouts "Jumanji!" In an instant, all the animals, water, and the explorer disappear. Everything in the house goes back to how it was before. The siblings quickly return to the park. They leave the game there before their parents come home.

The story ends when Judy and Peter look outside. They see their neighbors, Danny and Walter, excitedly coming back from the park. Danny and Walter are carrying Jumanji in their hands. Judy and Peter know that their mother often says the brothers never finish games or read instructions.

Jumanji: From Book to Screen

The Jumanji book has been adapted into several movies and a TV show. These adaptations often add new characters and change parts of the original story.

The 1995 Jumanji Movie

The first film, also called Jumanji, came out in 1995. It is based on the picture book but has many differences. The movie introduces adult characters who were not in the book. These include Alan Parrish (Robin Williams), Sarah Whittle (Bonnie Hunt), Officer Carl Bentley (David Alan Grier), Aunt Nora (Bebe Neuwirth), and a hunter named Van Pelt (Jonathan Hyde). Jonathan Hyde also plays Alan's father, Sam Parrish.

In the film, Alan Parrish is the main character, not Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce). The movie adds a backstory where the game trapped Alan in the jungle many years earlier. This happened when he and Sarah were playing in 1969. The brothers Danny and Walter Budwing, who appear at the end of the book, are not in the movie. Also, in the film, Judy and Peter are orphans. Their parents died in a car accident, and their aunt is their new guardian.

Other changes include animals causing trouble all over town, not just in the house. Peter even turns into a monkey when he tries to cheat! Alan Parrish is the one who finally wins the game, not Judy. When he wins, everything, including time, goes back to how it was before the game started. The drumbeats from the game can also be heard from far away in the movie, which did not happen in the book.

The Jumanji TV Show

Jumanji (TV series) was an animated TV show. It ran from 1996 to 1999. This show was loosely based on both the book and the 1995 film. Unlike the book and film, the game transports Judy and Peter into the jungle itself. This happens after they take turns and read a clue. The show also features other villains besides Van Pelt.

In some episodes, Peter transforms into different animals when he tries to cheat. Alan Parrish from the movie remains trapped inside the game throughout the series. He only escapes in the final episode. Just like in the movie, Danny and Walter from the end of the original book are not in the TV show.

Newer Jumanji Movies

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a 2017 film. It stars famous actors like Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan. This movie is a sequel to the 1995 film. It is more of an action-adventure movie than the first one.

Jumanji: The Next Level is a 2019 film. It is a sequel to the 2017 movie. Johnson, Black, Hart, and Gillan all return in this film. New actors like Awkwafina, Rory McCann, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito also join the cast.

What is Zathura?

Zathura is a sequel to Jumanji. Chris Van Allsburg also wrote this book, and it was published in 2002. In Zathura, the brothers Danny and Walter Budwing find a science fiction board game. These are the same brothers who appear at the end of the Jumanji book. Just like Jumanji, the elements of the Zathura game also come to life.

The Zathura book was also adapted into a film. It was called Zathura: A Space Adventure and came out in 2005.

See also

• In Spanish: Jumanji para niños