Rainbow Fish Board Book, The

I don't care for the message of the book. It wants to teach sharing but it comes off as buying friends and dulling your shine for others. Eff that. Be fabulous.

I've read a lot of the bad reviews saying it teaches kids that you have to give up your things to have friends and that is simply not true. This was read to me when I was in elementary school. I am now 22 going on 23. At such a young age, I knew what this story was talking about. The other fish want to be friends with the rainbow fish in the beginning, but then he shows a selfish act when a little fish asked if he could have just one scale. He was mean so the other fish did not want to be his friend after that. They all turned away from him. The octopus told rainbow fish to give one scale to each fish to learn how to be happy. When he gave up one scale to the little fish, he saw how happy the little fish was and it made him feel good to see him happy. He learned that it felt amazing to share with others. This book is to teach kids to not be selfish and to learn how to share.