The Rainbow Fish

Guide Note

Marcus Pfister's award-winning children picture book, The Rainbow Fish, is about a fish with shining scales who learns that sharing with friends brings him more happiness than being the most beautiful fish in the ocean.

The Rainbow Fish series is all about solving problems. In each sequel we encounter strong messages of acceptance of others, will to settle disputes, rescuing and restoring peace. Publisher's Weekly listed the book among the all-time best-selling hardcover children's books and it also won the 1995 American Booksellers Book of the Year Award.

The Rainbow Fish can be interpreted in various ways.

1. One basic interpretation is that it promotes sharing and considering everyone as an equal.
2. It can be seen to propose the need to give away of one's possessions so others include and accept them in today's Society, presenting the idea that love can be bought.
3. Critics also claim that the book presents the concept of individual identity being replaced by social equality.

Pfister worked to emphasize the shiny metallic scale detail of Rainbow Fish in his book and wanted his finished book to attract and trigger children's imagination. He used an artistic technique known as 'holographic stamping' which played a large part in achieving his goal.

Decode Entertainment adopted Marcus Pfister's story into a 26-episode animated television series. This series, however, does not follow the same plot and more characters and scenes were added.

Fast Facts

1. Author: Marcus Pfister
2. Illustrator: Marcus Pfister
3. Publisher: North-South Books
4. Originally published: September 1992
5. Translated into English by J. Alison James
6. 1995 ABBY Award winner
7. Bestseller across the U.S. since 1992
8. The Rainbow Fish is a book series
9. Translated into 30 languages