The+Rainbow+Fish

= ** T H E R A I N B O ** W ** F I S H ** = By Marcus Pfister
 * -Haley Smith **

**Author Biography:**
====Marcus Pfister was born in Berne, Switzerland in 1960. In 1983, Pfister began writing and illustrating children’s books. Prior to this he had a career as a graphic artist. Pfister does his illustrations in water colors and also uses holographic stamping. The Rainbow Fish is Pfister’s most popular children’s book and it has been on the best seller list since 1992. Pfister currently resides in Berne with his wife Kathryn and their three children.====

**Summary:**
====Marcus Pfister’s, //The Rainbow Fish//, is a picture book which teaches a lesson of sharing and why it is important to not be selfish. Initially the rainbow fish is considered beautiful. The other fish admire his shimmering scales; however, he becomes vain and selfish. In the end, the rainbow fish learns that kindness and friendship are worth more than beauty.====

**Review:**
====The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is a wonderful book with a great lesson to be learned by all ages. This award winning, beautifully illustrated book teaches children about sharing. It would be a great book for a lesson about friendships and sharing in an elementary classroom. This is a highly recommended book; it is both brilliant and beautiful.====

**Literary Element Analysis: Character Development**
====Throughout The Rainbow Fish, there is a lot of character development. The Rainbow Fish starts out as a self-absorbed, arrogant fish who does not understand how inner beauty is more important than outer beauty. He is a dynamic character and changes a lot at the end of the story. He starts off as arrogant, a bad friend, and a protagonist that the other characters despise and becomes friendly and happy. Children are able to learn from the Rainbow Fish’s mistakes!====

Author: Marcus Pfister

 * Bibliographical Information:**

Author: Marcus Pfister Published: North-South Books, 1999 ISBN-13: 9781558580091 Hardcover/Paperback/Board Book Reading Level: PreK - 3 Pages: 24


 * Author Biography:**

Marcus Pfister was born in Berne, Switzerland, and began his career as a graphic artist in an advertising agency. In 1983, he decided to dedicate more time to artistic pursuits, and began to write and illustrate his first book, //The Sleepy Owl//, which was published in 1986. His best-known work to date is //The Rainbow Fish//, which has remained on bestseller lists across the United States since 1992.


 * Summary:**

The most beautiful fish in the ocean is asked to share one of his shining scales with a little blue fish, and to which he refuses. All the other fish in the sea leave him alone, and he wondered why. He goes to the wise octopus for advice, and she tells him to give away his scales. Rainbow Fish reluctantly does so, except for one. In the end, he is less beautiful then he was before, but he has new friends and is now the happiest fish in the sea.


 * Review:**

//The Rainbow Fish// is a great book to teach children about sharing and being kind to others. It also teaches children about resisting the need to be "better" than others and about having friends. For this age level, these are important concepts for them to learn. The illustrations are bright and engaging to children and the story is a classic. This story is truly heart-warming and children will want to read it again and again.


 * Analysis of Literacy Element:**

By bringing this book into my classroom, it teaches children the lesson of sharing. Children will learn that sharing is a good thing and that it will make others around you happy. It also teaches children about friendship through sharing. Overall the story teaches children that being selfish and trying to be "better" than others is not the right way. Instead, it shows to children that sharing and being kind to others will make you happier and be able to have friends. This moral is a great lesson for children to learn at a young age.