The Rainbow Fish
Pfister, Marcus. The Rainbow Fish. NordSüd Verlag, 1992. 24 pages.
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister tells the heartwarming story of a unique fish learning lessons on priorities and relationships. The most beautiful fish in the sea is faced with a challenging dilemma: whether or not to share his shiny scales with others. The fish initially chooses to keep the scales, but soon learns the consequences of selfish actions. Lonely and regretful, the fish shares his glimmering scales with the other fish, keeping only one for himself. Although the fish was not viewed as the most beautiful anymore, his decision to share with others and prioritize relationships over material goods made him more joyous than beauty ever could.
Pfitster utilizes water color and paint to enhance the text of the book and create a soft, simple setting. The viewer is able to visualize the ocean in a dramatically simplistic viewpoint and focus on the characters, rather than setting. The blues and purples emphasized in both the water and the other fish paralleled the text of the children’s book. The fish seemed to blend in with the background, emphasizing their lack of outstanding qualities. This was directly contrasted by the shiny, silver scales of the rainbow fish. Pfister used a different texture and medium to create the special scales, making the rainbow fish the focal point of each page. The lack of detail in the illustrations accented the text of the book, which was presented in a fairly plain and simple manner.
And the more he gave away, the more delighted he became.
The Rainbow Fish offers insight to philosophical questions that may be asked and allows children to evaluate the possible responses. The question of personal identity is largely integrated within the book, posing the questions: does the fish remain the same if he is not considered the most beautiful anymore? What makes the rainbow fish individual now that its unique rainbow scales are mostly gone? These questions may be used to allow children to consider identities and who they are.
