Cover Image: Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller

Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller

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Member Reviews

Rainbow Fish wakes one day to a new fish, Humbert, arriving with horrible news: all the fish are in danger! Yet the story seems too weird to be true, and sure enough, everyone is safe. Day after day, Humbert warns all the fish about a pending disaster, but nothing ever happens. If Rainbow Fish can't figure out why Humbert keeps telling tall tales, there might be bigger problems than crazy stories.

I appreciate that this story builds off the "crying wolf" theme and explores a bit more of why the storytelling fish does what he does. Things get risky for a while, but even annoying, dishonest fish deserve to have friends—particularly if they promise to use their imaginations to help everyone. This is a fun story for classrooms or bedtime and opens the door to talk about honesty and the reasons someone might lie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

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I remember buying a board book of The Rainbow Fish for my toddler twenty years ago. Honestly, I think I was more charmed by the beauty of this book than my son was! It was just so beautifully rendered...this illustration of a multicolored jewel-toned fish with blue, purple and silvery shiny foil scales.

This story involves another fish in the sea called Humbert who has a penchant for telling tall tales. The first one is that there is a giant plug at the bottom of the ocean that someone is going to pull, leaving the fish vulnerable. Another one is about a scary whale that is roaming around the area. In these and some future stories, Humbert projects himself as the person who can protect them, and they shouldn't worry. It soon becomes apparent that Humbert has a habit of making up tall tales to stoke his self-importance while scaring the school of fish. The story resolves with a happy solution that leaves them all friends.

One cannot help but be lured in by the gorgeous illustrations of the seascapes and colorful, glittering fish. Coupled with an instructive story to teach children something about dealing with boastful, less than truthful personalities, it is a valuable book to add to your child's library.

Thank you to the publisher NorthSouth Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

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This time Rainbow Fish and his friends meet another fish who has trouble making his lies appear as the truth. At first, this fish is ostracized until Rainbow Fish discovers a way to incorporate the fish’s tall tales into something useful for all the fish.
I received an advanced reader copy for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

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Everyone's favorite sparkly fish is back with a new lesson to learn. This time Rainbow fish makes a new friend named Humbert, who likes to tell tall tales. Rainbow fish and his friends realize Humbert is not telling the truth, but instead of unfriending him, they come up with a better way for him to use his storytelling gift.
Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is a beautifully illustrated children's book with a great message. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up.
Thanks to Netgalley and North South Books Inc. for the DRC!

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I absolutely loved rainbow fish as a kid. I'm glad I can share this story with my kids.

Rainbow Fish meets Humbert a very large fish who loves telling tall tales. Rainbow Fish and his friends find a way to helping Humbert tell his tall tales without scaring any fish.

My 8 year old said it should be rated 100 stars. I would recommend to a friend to read to their little ones.

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I always enjoy reading the Rainbow Fish series and this was another great read. The pictures are colorful and the metallic looking scales pop on the page. Rainbow Fish’s new friend learns a valuable lesson. I think since Rainbow Fish’s friend is new; he thinks the only way to make friends is to tell fantastical tales. But he learns how to keep and have friends.

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How can you go wrong with Rainbowfish? I loved it when I was little and now my 4 year old gets to share the joy in these amazing books as well!

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I thought this was a really cute continuation of the Rainbow Fish series. I would recommend this title to anyone who is a big fan of Rainbow Fish - or anyone looking for a children's book with a good life lesson.

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This a cute story. I was expecting it to follow the boy who cried wolf, but it had a different ending. I think this is a great book with many possible follow up activities. This could segue into a discussion or activity about creativity. It could also be a good story to follow up with a history lesson about storytellers. I think creativity and creative writing are important for kids to learn. The illustrations are also fun and vibrant.

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Yet another fun tail (ha!) about Rainbow Fish and his friends.

This time, Rainbow Fish meets a fish named Humbert who spins wild tales meant to frighten everyone into thinking they're in danger. The problem is, none of Humbert's stories have even the slightest ring of truth to them. From a plug at the bottom of the sea that could cause the entire ocean to drain, to fearsome whales who will eat all their food, Humbert's stories quickly become ignored and even mocked by all the other fish.

When Rainbow Fish convinces Humbert to take his talents in a different direction, he quickly changes course to become a storyteller that no other fish would want to miss.

A great tale with a great moral at the end, this new release by Marcus Pfister is sure to be another addition to the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and North South Books for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

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I feel like I missed something major in my life. Rainbow Fish was one of my absolute favorite books as a kid. AND THERE'S MORE THAN ONE NOW!!! I had no idea that the Rainbow Fish saga continued into more picture books. How incredibly wonderful!

In this story, Rainbow Fish meets Humbert... who has a very loose relationship with the truth. Think of the little boy who cried wolf, but in the water... with fish and whales.

I love all the details and colors... and of course, that splash of dazzle on the fins. It was so great to be immersed in the world of rainbow fish again!

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I mean... Who doesn't love Rainbow Fish?

2 year old wasn't crazy about the threatening fish illustration. One of the things I love about rainbow fish is how calming the beautiful watercolor illustrations are, so the threatening fish didn't fit the brand for us.

I especially liked the nod to the first book with all the fish having a shiny scale.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

As a kindergarten teacher I love Rainbow Fish! This is another fun story with Rainbow Fish and his friends. It explores one way to help a friend who has a wild imagination. A good intro for talking to students who tell tall tales and lies.

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Rainbow Fish is one of those children’s books that I have been seeing get a lot of flack online in recent years; though, I haven’t taken the time to read up on it enough to figure out why. Other people may not like the Rainbow Fish story all that much now… it remains one of my personal favorites although I suspect that that has more to do with the beautiful watercolor backgrounds and the shiny holographic tones on Rainbow Fish himself more than anything else. When I saw that there were new Rainbow Fish stories on NetGalley I just knew that I was going to review them; if only for nostalgia’s sake.
Rainbow Fish And The Storyteller follows Rainbow Fish and his friends as he makes a new friend out of a large newcomer fish named Humbert. Humbert has an issue with telling tall tales and lying to get the other fish to like and pay attention to him. By the end of the book, Humbert is using his skills with imagination for good instead of making all of the other fish worries.
What I liked the most about this book was how understanding Rainbow Fish was… he truly took the time to listen to everyone and made sure not to leave anyone out. One cool thing that I noticed in the illustrations was that if you look at Rainbow Fish’s friends they all still have the glittering scales that he gifted to everyone in the original story.
This book was a happy and uplifting time. As a bonus it was also a very quick read so it would be the perfect choice for reading to kids before nap or bedtime; the colors for the illustrations are captivating but not too vibrant.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for more Rainbow Fish stories, or if you are looking for a quick read with comfortable and recognizable characters. Thank you, NetGalley for the early review copy.

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Rainbow Fish and his friends are at it again. In this story they learn to deal with a fish seeking attention through negative behaviors. The fish rally together to redirect the negative behaviors into a positive for everyone. It addresses inclusion and acceptance at a very simple, easily discussed level. Great for lower grades.

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Super cute and nice story, It teaches a lesson in an understandable way. I think the children will think that it is funny. Doesn't drag. Short and sweet. I think it would be a good storytime book.

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A new entry to a popular series. Kids will love having another Rainbow Fish tale and it can spark discussions about using your imagination versus making up false tales.

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As someone who grew up reading the rainbow fish this brought me straight back to pre-school!
I absolutely loved it. The illustrations are simply gorgeous and even though it is a fun and sweet story for children it also sends an important moral message. Really well done!

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Rainbow Fish never fails to warm my heart. It's a great story for kids about acceptance and friendship!

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My children loved finding the rainbow fish in a new adventure that shows that it is not worth telling stories without consequences. Friends will be there if we need them.
The drawings are still as beautiful :)

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