Jumanji

The dynamic combination of master author/ illustrator Chris Van Allsburg and master of voices Robin Williams produces a delightful, but unexpected, audio program. Williams keeps his narration low-key and doesn't haul out character voices as listeners might expect. The consequences of two children playing an unusual board game, Jumanji, give the narrator and the audio producers great material. Williams coveys the perfect level of horrified anticipation with each roll of the dice. The events have all the high-stakes action and calamity one would expect, and Williams wisely takes a restrained roll as storyteller. The music, scored by Michael Moss, is fabulous, with great jungle sounds and a strong theme throughout. The balance between Williams's narration and the musical score is perfect. Williams's narration brings out a subtle humor, which is overshadowed in print by Van Allsburg's starkly haunting illustrations. This team succeeds at making Jumanji multi-dimensional--an audio delight. R.F.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine