advent

The author of this book has mis-directed the resentment against the Rainbow Fish. He wasn't disliked because he wouldn't give up his scales (only ONE FISH had expressed a desire for a scale!!) He was disliked for being arrogant and a jerk. This could have been a wonderful story about true friendship and how close friends confide one to another along with the consequences of gossip (something Pfister totally glossed over).

Although I can appreciate the author's intent in teaching a lesson on sharing, it seems the logical extent that he give up his scales in order to make a friend and to feel happy just doesn't work.

I suggest an alternate: Friendless, the Rainbow Fish becomes humble and asks the small fish for forgiveness for being a jerk. He tries to "buy" the small fish's friendship by first offering him a scale. The small fish sees through it and refuses the scale. The RF cries and confesses to being a jerk. The small fish seeing the pathetic state of the Rainbow Fish accepts the apology and they become best friends. At some point as their relationship grows, the Rainbow Fish, as a token of his true friendship gives the small fish one of his scales. The small fish is overjoyed, but he starts to feel bad. He told all the other fish what a jerk the Rainbow Fish was. He confesses to the Rainbow Fish what he told everyone. The small blue fish then, to make things better, goes and tells the other fish that Rainbow Fish is not like he used to be. In fact, RF gave the small fish a beautiful scale and RF did it not to MAKE a friend, but because he WAS a friend.

The other fish are impressed and decide if the small blue fish can be convinced, they will accept RF as a friend, too. The end.

This book will soon become one of your child's favorites. No one is immune to the stunning beauty of the vivid watercolors that are highlighted with reflective, colored foil to make the Rainbow Fish shimmer across the page. The sheer gorgeousness of the image makes the moral of the story hit home like a smack into the middle of your forehead. All children have trouble learning to share, and this book makes an eloquent case for why that's in your child's best interest. It is easy to see why this book won the American Bookseller's 1995 Book of the Year Award!

The Rainbow Fish was simply "the most beautiful fish in the entire ocean." He had scales that "were every shade of blue and green and purple, with sparkling silver scales among them." Not only was he the most beautiful, the "other fish were amazed at his beauty." When the other fish invited him, "Come play with us!", he would just glide by. But he did enjoy being admired.

When one of the fish asked for a scale, the Rainbow Fish haughtily said, "Get away from me!" Pretty soon everyone avoided the Rainbow Fish, and he was lonely.

The rest of the story describes how Rainbow Fish achieved happiness through sharing. In the process, he makes the whole ocean more beautiful and his own life a study in connectedness. Psychologists tell us that people have both a need to be distinctive and a need to be connected. Those desires can cause behavior that improves one satisfaction at the expense of the other. The Rainbow Fish effectively shows how the two dimensions can be combined through locating and sharing with others who have the same interests.

This book will be improved by some discussions because a child may not have the experience to know how to extend the moral of this story into her or his own life. For example, your child doesn't need to permanently give away 90 percent of his or her toys in order to have any friends. However, your child should be prepared to share 100 percent of toys when friends or relatives visit. You can explain to your child how the same sharing will occur in reverse when visiting the other children. In that way, everyone has more and more fun.

You can also use the story to help explain the joys of giving to those in need. For example, you could read this book before your child trick or treats for UNICEF (or helps raise money for some other charity) for the first time.

Unfortunately, your child can mistakenly see this book as suggesting that it is a bad idea to stand out. That can be harmful in areas like academic achievement, where there is a lot of peer pressure not to excel in some schools. You want your child to understand that excellence is praiseworthy, but pridefulness and rudeness towards others are not.

You can turn this around by encouraging your child to come up with games and activities that can be shared with others. When we share the richness of our minds, the lives of all are improved. The bounty we receive in return is boundless.

I like books that raise fundamental questions about how to live an upright and emotionally rich life, and The Rainbow Fish will provide many wonderful opportunities for discussions of this sort. As a result, you will have more wonderful experiences with your child. That's a great benefit to get from sharing this book!

After you have finished reading the book many times, ask your child how a person can obtain more happiness. You will be impressed with the good ideas you will hear, and you can enjoy the happiness of seeing the beauty of your child's character in the answers.

Create beauty through giving!

My cousins, who live in a socialist European country, recently visited us in the U.S., and gave this book to my children as a gift. I love my cousins but think this is a horrible book. The message is clear: if you are better than anyone else, or rise above your peers in any way, no one will like you, and you will be lonely and miserable, as well as the target of envy and sometimes hatred. However, if you bring yourself down to their level, or pay them off, you will be most popular! The book reflects the mentality of the socialist, and demonstrates altruism at its worst. Everyone must be the same, and no one can excel at anything or in any way. The rainbow fish teaches children that it is good to strip yourself raw for the benefit of others, who were never your true friends to begin with, but only wanted something from you and based their acceptance of you on what you could provide for them. You know, kind of like that bad friend in school who loves you when you're down and out, but can't stand it when you lose weight and are looking good or happy or successful. Once the rainbow fish has taken off and given away all its beautiful scales, it is no longer the prettiest fish. The other fish, who each got a scale, are not elevated, but rather, they're all dragged down to the lowest common denominator. One scale each. Not enough to make anyone prettier than anyone else -- no one can really shine. It's not about sharing and love, but more like emotional bribery. I give this book one star, only because I have to, and the illustrations are pretty. Steer clear.