Rainbow Fish to the Rescue!

Rainbow Fish to the Rescue!

Written and illustrated by Marcus PFister

Genre: Fantasy 

Grade Level- K- Second

Have you ever felt different then everyone else? Have you ever been ignored by others and not included? All of the fish in this school have one beautiful scale except one stripped fish. The other fish don't want to play with this fish because he is different from them. The school of fish surprise the striped fish when they come to his rescue.

    Rainbow Fish to the Rescue takes place in the deep blue sea. A school of fish are best friends and they do everything together. They all have one sparkling silver scale on their bodies and that they all adore. One day a striped fish without a special scale asks to play with them.The fish reject him because he is different from them. The striped fish is sad and swims away only to come face to face with a shark. The school of fish reach safety, but the Rainbow fish risks his life to save the lone fish. The shark grows tired and gives up on trying to eat the fish and swims away. All of the fish are so happy to be alive and well that they welcome the striped fish into their school. 

    PFister's Rainbow Fish to the Rescue is a good children's book because it is well written and has beautiful illustrations. The sparkling silver scales actually shine and glitter in this book which adds a nice touch. The illustrations depict the beautiful ocean that correlates perfectly with the story. The story itself has a nice message that all of us should act like the rainbow fish did and stand up for others and help them. The story is easy to read and comprehend. 

    Rainbow Fish to the Rescue is a children's fantasy story. This story is about a school of fish that are all best friends and have a lot of fun. When a fish that is different  from the school and he wants to join their group they are quick to reject him. Children will relate to this story because we all know what it feels like to be rejected. This story is fantasy because the fish in this story have human characteristics. For example the fish in this book talk, play games, have emotions, etc. The theme of this story is to treat others the way you would want to be treated. The message this story sends out to children is to include everyone and to go out of your way to be a good friend. 

    I would use this book to educate my students about bullying. This would be a perfect story to read before recess so the students will be kind to each other. After I read this story to the class I could have a class discussion about how the striped fish felt when no one wanted to play with him. I could ask my students how they think others should be treated. The rainbow fish is a good role model for students because he saves the striped fish from the shark and encourages his friends to help. The fish all become friends in the end and everyone is happy. 

Links to the Frameworks:

Grade 1- 1.   Ask and answer questions about key details in a text

Grade 1-2. Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

Grade 1-3. Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

Grade 1-7. Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.