But has he?ĭoes the fact that Rainbow Fish has something that others want make it okay for the others to ostracize Rainbow Fish until he gives them what they think they deserve- what is not rightfully theirs? Doesn’t Rainbow Fish have the right to pursue his own interests and make friends who will like him for who he is?īy believing that his scales have no value to him unless others admire them, Rainbow Fish is deriving his self-esteem from the opinions of others.Ī better lesson would be that he should enjoy his scales and be proud of them because he values them, not simply because others like them. The story tells us that Rainbow Fish has found friendship and true happiness. No longer a special beauty, he and all the other fish are now the same. Rainbow Fish gives away his scales until he has only one left for himself. They swarm around him, each demanding a scale of their own. Soon, all the other fish hear that Rainbow Fish has given away a scale. But as he’s pondering how to proceed, the plain fish returns and asks again for just one of the special scales. He wonders how he can live without his most prized possessions. That advice doesn’t make sense to Rainbow Fish. The octopus asserts that even though Rainbow Fish won’t be the most beautiful fish any more, he’ll be happy. He starts to wonder if there is any point in having nice scales if he can’t enjoy them.Ī “wise” octopus, who has heard of Rainbow Fish’s situation from the waves of the sea, advises him to give one of his glittering scales to each of the other fish.
From then on, all of the fish turn away from Rainbow Fish and ignore him when he swims by. The plain fish is upset and rushes to tell all the other fish what happened. Rainbow Fish is surprised and appalled by this notion, and sends the plain fish away. One day, a plain fish, offering nothing in return, asks Rainbow Fish to give him one of his scales.
The other fish watch in awe as Rainbow Fish swims around them. As the story begins, we see that Rainbow Fish is more beautiful than the other fish because of his colorful, unique, glittering scales. Its popularity is partly due to its eyecatching illustrations and partly due to the story of a “beautiful fish who finds friendship and happiness when he learns to share.”Īt first glance, this story seems to have some positive messages. The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister, is a popular children’s book.
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