Chris Van Allsberg's picture book "Jumanji" was first published in 1981, and it quickly became a staple in elementary schools and libraries, read widely and joyously by several generations of kids. The book won a Caldecott medal, and Allsberg would go on to write other children's classics like "The Z Was Zapped," "The Polar Express," and the "Jumanji" sequel "Zathura." 

The premise is fun: Two kids, bored at home, find a jungle-adventure-themed board game called Jumanji in their attic. When they play it, however, they find that the dictated events of the game manifest in their house. When the game cards tell them they've run into chimpanzees, chimpanzees appear in their kitchen, and more and more animals begin wreaking havoc as the game progresses. It's only when the game ends that the mayhem ceases. 

In 1995, director Joe Johnston adapted "Jumanji" to film, expanding the story onto a longer timeline and inventing...