Connect with us

Board Book Review: Rainbow Fish

Rainbow Fish

Children's Books

Board Book Review: Rainbow Fish

Maren has struggled with this book and the very real dilemma of a teething baby: to chew the book or to touch the pictures?

Review Date: February 20th, 2019

Written By: Marcus Pfister

Back Copy

Rainbow Fish will enchant even the youngest child with his silver scales and heart of gold in this award-winning book about the beautiful fish who learned to share his most prized possession.

Rainbow Fish

Review

So the other day I was discussing this book with my husband and best friend. I remembered liking it as a child, and then feeling like maybe it was a little sad as I got older and looked back on it. But the truth of the matter is that I hadn’t actually read it in years, and opinions can get a little skewed.

So when I saw it at the bookstore the other day, I picked it up to thumb through it. Maren, in her stroller, caught sight of it and her eyes totally lit up. Seeing her reaction, I flipped to the next page for her, and she was so into it. I asked her if she wanted me to get it for her. She’s 6 months old, so she didn’t reply. But she was clearly excited about it. I wondered, though, if she had interest in just books in general or this particular one. When I held up a different book, she started to cry. So I switched back to The Rainbow Fish and she was happy once again. That was endorsement enough for me to buy it for her! Since then she has struggled with the very real dilemma of a teething baby: to chew the book or to touch the pictures? Normally, chewing wins. This time, however, those shiny scales lured her into touching them instead.

The shiny fish is doing its job very well on the kid’s level of readership. As for it’s adult reader, having read it afresh, I am inclined to see it less as the fish giving up a part of herself to have friends, which is sad, and more as an example of how if we hoard something that makes us special, then no one can share in the enjoyment of it with us. Another way I see this is why you shouldn’t value your appearance (or status) over getting to know people who are not like you.

Maren, with her little hulk baby muscles, has already managed to bend the front cover out of shape, btw. So I’m docking some points in the fold resistance. It’s a bigger board book, so not quite as dense, and therefore easier to bend. But it‘s holding up well against slobber for now.

Rainbow Fish

Kid Ratings

  • Slobber Durability: 10/10
  • NOM Resistance: 10/10
  • Tear and Fold Resistance: 9/10
  • Font Readability: 10/10
  • Baby Engagement: 10/10
  • Mommy Engagement: 10/10

Reader, Author, Bookstagrammer, and Mom; Alexis runs Nerdy Post, a fandom artwork box as well as serves as chief editor and writer on Drop and Give me Nerdy.

More in Children's Books

Trending

Featured

Nesting

Children's Books

Nesting Review

By July 9, 2020
#StrongKids

Children's Books

#StrongKids Review

By June 2, 2020
Please, Mr Panda
To Top