Someone should bury every copy of this underneath Davy Jones' Locker!
THREE PROS
*I'm not even sure if the point of the book was teaching sharing, but if it was I guess that's positive
*The shine effect the publisher used on the lead's scales did help me understand why other fish wanted some of that action too
*According to the copy I have, it was printed in 1996... which gives me hope that the majority of Rainbow Fish have died off by now
*The shine effect the publisher used on the lead's scales did help me understand why other fish wanted some of that action too
*According to the copy I have, it was printed in 1996... which gives me hope that the majority of Rainbow Fish have died off by now
THREE CONS
*Do we really want to teach our kids that in order for them to have friends they need to give away the vast majority of their possessions (aka: buying friendship)
*The frickin' fish literally has to rip off parts of his body to accomplish this goal -- I'd rather be a loner with perfect epidermis than a popular skin graft experiment
*Pretty sure that octopi do not have the brain capacity to be considered the wisest creatures in the sea (um, dolphins, hello)
ONE DAD'S OPINION
Tonight I walked by a corner freezer at my local Safeway that was showcasing some national brand of plant-packaged breaded filets. Glancing at it for a second, I distinctly remember letting out a semi-audible groan before I moved on to the dairy aisle. In other words, I actually had a visceral reaction to imagining consuming it. Not sure why, but I did. It's not like I am opposed to eating this foodstuff for moral or culinary reasons. In fact, it's fairly likely that I will order fish and chips at a restaurant at least one time in the next year. But, the thought of eating what was in that box was about as unappetizing to me as, say, digesting anything prepared by author Marcus Pfister ever again. And while The Rainbow Fish isn't quite the fatal fugu batch of the literary world, it has about a thousand percent higher chance of giving you food poisoning than any other fish story you'll find. Throw it in the trash and start over.
Buy / Borrow / Donate / DESTROY
4 comments:
Hahahaha! Thank you. I've always hated this book without really knowing why. And now I know why. And there's an even worse sequel too...
I've always hated this story for many of the same reasons as you (I don't have a problem with wise octopi -- they are extremely clever for their mass, especially compared to fish). My kids actually enjoyed this book as a read out loud because of the intense sarcasm and incredulity I'd put into reading it.
Yeah, that message of "yes, you can be liked, if you rip away everything about yourself that is different" seems hard to justify. Or "bully the different kids until they give you all they've got." Maybe "never brag about yourself, because you'll be forced to surrender your accomplishments."
These are some of my favorite comments ever! Thanks guys:)
I don't even remember my youngest daughter reading this book, but when her elementary library was liquidated due to closure of the school, she BEGGED me to try to get a copy. Amazing what sticks with children!
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