lilmatt050's review
5.0
When I was in 3rd Grade I remember seeing this book circulating in the classroom and library and did not make the connection it was the book that would later be adapted to film but I remember glancing at it and found it to be boring with the black and white illustrations so I never bother reading it till completion. I was a huge fan growing up watching the film version with Robin Williams because I love the action, adventure, and of course the one and only Robin Williams.
Jump ahead now to 2016. News break out that the Rock and Kevin Hart will be doing the sequel. My automatic response which has stayed the same since this revelation is:
I know Robin Williams version is not oscar-winning material but there are films that should never be touched or made into a sequels and regardless of his death you can never recreate that magic of Jumanji and live up to the hype-level which is Robin Williams. When I found out about the news I decided to request a copy from my local library and the biggest surprise which I highly recommend everyone to read is the 30th Anniversary special because it comes with the audiobook narrated none other than...
Jumanji aka the board game that can actually kill you.
Judy and Peter are siblings who are bored one afternoon and are stuck home alone while the parents go off and watch the Opera with friends. The kids decide to go to the park where they discover the board game on the ground called Jumanji and out of curiosity they rush back home and decide to play the adventure game. At first Peter is apprehensive about the game because it sounds boring but truth be told Jumanji is not your average monopoly.
In order to play, each player rolls the dice and will encounter obstacles along the way, the player who is able to reach the end wins the game. At first that may seem simple except this game has the special ability to bring animals to life and since the theme is the jungle only trouble will be ensured. Lions, Monkeys, Rhinoceros, and others come out to play and its up to Judy and Peter to survive long enough to put an end to the madness. Will they survive to reach the end or die by a stampede?
Overall I was not disappointed with the book! I understand completely why the film made the necessary changes because if they followed the plot of this book then the movie would be over within 45 mins and the sense of action and chaos would not reflect well on film. If this was read to children then I highly suggest reading this book first before the movie because the film is able to go in-depth with the characters and the plot whereas this children book is done within 20 minutes.
Robin Williams is an excellent narrator and I am surprised that he has not done any audiobooks for other books because I would buy every copy because he is a magnificent storyteller and could make any dull book sound like the greatest piece of literature known to man. Since this story is short and simple I have to warn you that you do not get the full magic of Robin Williams because he does not have much room to work with but I was swept with his narration for his story. Normally it would take me less than 5 minutes to finish a children's book and yet Robin was able to convince me to be patient and follow along with his narration which turns a 5-minute reading into a 20-minute story.
I really do miss him and his death still shocks me to this very day. I am still in denial and it does not help that he has made countless iconic films that has shaped my childhood and bring laughter into my life. He has that remarkable ability to make you laugh within seconds and give him a few minutes you will be in tears by the end of his punchline. I miss you Robin...
Jump ahead now to 2016. News break out that the Rock and Kevin Hart will be doing the sequel. My automatic response which has stayed the same since this revelation is:
I know Robin Williams version is not oscar-winning material but there are films that should never be touched or made into a sequels and regardless of his death you can never recreate that magic of Jumanji and live up to the hype-level which is Robin Williams. When I found out about the news I decided to request a copy from my local library and the biggest surprise which I highly recommend everyone to read is the 30th Anniversary special because it comes with the audiobook narrated none other than...
Jumanji aka the board game that can actually kill you.
Judy and Peter are siblings who are bored one afternoon and are stuck home alone while the parents go off and watch the Opera with friends. The kids decide to go to the park where they discover the board game on the ground called Jumanji and out of curiosity they rush back home and decide to play the adventure game. At first Peter is apprehensive about the game because it sounds boring but truth be told Jumanji is not your average monopoly.
In order to play, each player rolls the dice and will encounter obstacles along the way, the player who is able to reach the end wins the game. At first that may seem simple except this game has the special ability to bring animals to life and since the theme is the jungle only trouble will be ensured. Lions, Monkeys, Rhinoceros, and others come out to play and its up to Judy and Peter to survive long enough to put an end to the madness. Will they survive to reach the end or die by a stampede?
Overall I was not disappointed with the book! I understand completely why the film made the necessary changes because if they followed the plot of this book then the movie would be over within 45 mins and the sense of action and chaos would not reflect well on film. If this was read to children then I highly suggest reading this book first before the movie because the film is able to go in-depth with the characters and the plot whereas this children book is done within 20 minutes.
Robin Williams is an excellent narrator and I am surprised that he has not done any audiobooks for other books because I would buy every copy because he is a magnificent storyteller and could make any dull book sound like the greatest piece of literature known to man. Since this story is short and simple I have to warn you that you do not get the full magic of Robin Williams because he does not have much room to work with but I was swept with his narration for his story. Normally it would take me less than 5 minutes to finish a children's book and yet Robin was able to convince me to be patient and follow along with his narration which turns a 5-minute reading into a 20-minute story.
I really do miss him and his death still shocks me to this very day. I am still in denial and it does not help that he has made countless iconic films that has shaped my childhood and bring laughter into my life. He has that remarkable ability to make you laugh within seconds and give him a few minutes you will be in tears by the end of his punchline. I miss you Robin...
molerat159's review against another edition
5.0
This is literally a 32 page children's book that I read in 10 minutes so it definitely shouldn't count towards my reading challenge, but I really enjoyed it and it was interesting to see how simplistic it is in comparison to the film, as the book is literally just Judy and Peter playing the game, compared to film that has built a storyline related to the game before it even gets to Judy and Peter
gillianalice's review
4.0
I didn't realize that I'd read Jumanji as a kid, but apparently I did because these illustrations were so familiar to me!
xkay_readsx's review against another edition
5.0
What a great adventure! I love the movies and not sure why it took me this long to read this book. The illustration is nice even in black and white, but I just love the audiobook. The drums, do you remember the drums?
19lindsey89's review against another edition
3.0
These kids played the game right. Don't take the time to run away from the lava coming out of the fireplace, just keep rolling those dice and finish the game.
sean67's review against another edition
3.0
Who knew the movies could be based from this 32 page picture book - talk about extending a story out!!
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
March 2019 - I hadn't read this in ages, and it was fun to see Ben experience it for the first time.
sttefana's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't enjoy the book as much as the movie. Something missed while I read it. I really wanted to love the book