Social skills 2

Pfster, M. (1995). Rainbow Fish to the Rescue. New York, USA: North-South Books Inc.

ISBN #:9-7807358141-3

“Rainbow Fish To The Rescue” by Marcus Pfister is about rainbow fish who has to make a very tough decision of whether he leaves his friends to play with the poor little striped fish or to stay with his friends? Feeling guilty and ashamed rainbow fish plays with his friends, and leaves striped fish on his own. When the shark appears all the flashing scaled fish run for cover. In the open water striped fish is in danger of the shark. Rainbow fish is scared for him, and knows that he must convince the other fish to help. They manage to save the striped fish’s life. They invite stripped fish to play fin tag instead of flash tag so that they can all play with the striped fish. 

This book is very appropriate for three to five-year olds because it’s about including others no matter what their appearances are. I think ages three to five-is the right age to be reading this kind of material because it’s a crucial time for learning about inclusion, and that just because someone is different doesn’t mean we leave them out. 

The illustrations in this book are very captivating with vibrant colors, and sparkling scales. The pictures give us a sense of what the fish feel because of the emotional features shown on the faces of the fish. The illustrations give us a sense of who is the clang and who is the outsider because of the great detail of the fish with sparkling scales compared to the stripped fish, so it’s all easy to spot. 

In term of a provocation for this book I would most likely have an activity where I put colored and non-colored fish around the room, and have find the fish that match, then come back to the circle, and I would read the book to them. 

When reading the book to the children I would ask them to find in the big pile of fish the one I’m pointing to. Then I would stop at page 8 where we would talk about how scared the little stripped fish must have felt being all alone, and how brave it was for the rainbow fish to take charge and help him when he needed help. 

For extensions I would have different types of fish pictures that all look different. The children can paper mache as many as they would like, and we will put them up in the classroom and talk about how different they look, but yet so beautiful in their own ways. I would get some songs we could sing that have to do with friendship and helping others. I would probably go into the friendship book, and do extend on the theme of friendship.