Rainbow Fish to the Rescue! Mini Book [Hardcover]

Marcus Pfister (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Rainbow Fish risks losing his new friends - and maybe even his life - to save a lonely stranger, the little stripped fish without a scale. This attractive new mini edition of the sequel to Rainbow Fish will certainly add sparkle to any child's holiday. It contains the complete text and the eye-catching holographic foil that so capitivates young readers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A mini-book edition of Rainbow Fish to the Rescue! by Pfister (the second adventure in the series) includes the complete text and the same glittering illustrations, as Rainbow Fish and his friends help the little striped fish avert a shark.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?When a little striped fish approaches the established school of fish, each of whom has one silver scale, and asks if he can play, he is turned away because he is not equipped to play "flash tag." Although Rainbow Fish remembers how it felt to be excluded, he does not come to the rescue until later when the school escapes a snapping shark's jaws, leaving the striped fish to fend for himself. Then Rainbow Fish spearheads the school's diversionary maneuvers and leads the smaller fish to safety. The next game is changed so that the new member of the group can join in. Pfister uses the same ocean-hued watercolors and foil-stamped scales that he used to illustrate Rainbow Fish (North-South, 1992). The faces of the fish reflect the emotions of the text, from derision to fear. The shark is appropriately fearsome. Although it is not mandatory to have read the earlier title first, it would be helpful in order to understand his recollection of his loneliness before he shared his scales and became one of the group. The gently implied themes of sharing and friendship in the first story are expanded here to include courage. Groups may be inspired to talk about befriending others, even if they are different, or about doing what is right, even if it is not popular.?Betty Teague, Blythe Elementary School, Greenville SC
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: North-South Books (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735814813
• ISBN-13: 978-0735814813
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Fish > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much More Valuable If Read After The Rainbow Fish, January 17, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Rainbow Fish to the Rescue! (Hardcover)

This book is a superb sequel to the wonderful children's book, The Rainbow Fish. Although Rainbow Fish to the Rescue can be read as a stand-alone, the lesson from the book's moral is clearer if The Rainbow Fish is read first. The Rainbow Fish establishes the pleasures and benefits of sharing and belonging. It can leave a child feeling that there are no other issues. Rainbow Fish to the Rescue expands that vision to the idea of inclusiveness, rather than forming and maintaining cliques. You will also enjoy seeing the spectacular foil highlights on the pages, as you did with The Rainbow Fish.

"Ever since Rainbow Fish had shared his scales [with the other fish], these fish had done everything together." "They played . . . ate . . . [and] even rested together."

"They were so happy together, they had no interest in other fish."

Their favorite game involved tag using the shiny scales that Rainbow Fish had shared as the "it" spot. When a little striped fish comes up and wants to play, some of the fish reject him because he doesn't have a scale like they do. In essence, they have become as vain and self-satisfied as the Rainbow Fish was at the beginning of the first book.

Although Rainbow Fish feels a twinge of sympathy for the little striped fish, he ultimately ignores the newcomer.

Suddenly, danger stalks the reef. The shiny scaled fish head for cover, leaving the little striped fish to his fate.

The book's resolution is full of good examples of how the many can change to accommodate the few without any serious harm or loss of fun to themselves. You can use this story to talk about the special issues of unpopular children and those who are new to the school. A helping hand in either direction is a great thing for a more popular child to provide. Many children would be willing to do that, but just either don't think of it or are not quite sure how to do it in terms of the group of friends the child has. With your helpful comments, those hurdles can quickly be overcome.

I suggest that after enjoying this book, you ask your child if anyone in her or his grade is ever left out like the little striped fish is here. Then, you could ask him or her what it probably feels like to be that child at those moments. From there, you can shift into how a helping hand of friendship can be usefully extended in an acceptable way.

May all be appreciated!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A colorful and meaningful book about helping others, May 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rainbow Fish to the Rescue! (Board book)

How refreshing to find an artistically interesting book for children that is also accompanied by some valuable meaning! If you are going to spend money on books, they should not only be entertaining but might as well accomplish something at the same time. I appreciate the opportunity to use this medium to teach my children to care for the interests of others and to see life from others' perspective.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Trite and rather disappointing, August 12, 2005

By 

Morgan's Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rainbow Fish to the Rescue! (Hardcover)

When I first read "Rainbow Fish to the Rescue," I had to check to make sure this book had, indeed, been written by the author of the original Rainbow Fish book. "Rescue" has the feeling of a quickly-cranked-out sequel, one that the author of the original would never have approved had he been given the choice.

I really don't know what came over Marcus Pfister. "Rescue" picks up where "The Rainbow Fish" left off. Each fish now has its own shiny scale, and they all play together happily. However, a new fish without a shiny scale comes along, and rather than welcome him to the group, all the fish ignore the newcomer. The Rainbow Fish goes along with the crowd even though he feels bad for the new guy. With little or no development to the story, the Rainbow Fish experiences a change of heart, the new fish is welcomed to the group (after being rescued from a prowling shark) and everyone is happy again. The moral of the story, which practically thumps the reader over the head, is to treat others nicely.

The original "Rainbow Fish" book did a much better job of presenting the exact same moral. This book feels forced and rushed, as if Marcus Pfister was working under a tight deadline and needed to get his manuscript off to the printer yesterday. I bought my copy of "Rescue" at a dollar store, and it was worth the buck but certainly not much more. Stick to the original "Rainbow Fish."