The Rainbow Fish and His Friends

I loved this book when I was a child, so I got in hopes my children would also like it, which they did. I love the hard cover, and glimmering scales on the pages. Beautiful illustrations and calming color scheme. I enjoy reading it to my kiddos as a bedtime story.

I had previously read some of the rainbow fish books to my 8-year-old when he was younger (and to my younger brothers growing up), but I hadn't encountered all of these stories and it was nice to have them all in one volume for ease of reading.The stories have great messages (that only occasionally shade towards being a bit heavy-handed) and are perfect for introducing many difficult concepts to young children in a fun and memorable way. Messages like sharing and being a good sport and being willing to reach out instead of attacking others out of fear and misunderstandings.The illustrations are colorful and cheerful and do a great job conveying the message and mood of each story. The text is perfect for reading aloud to children, and also great for kids with a 2nd-to-3rd-grade reading level to practice reading, though they may need help here and there.I really enjoyed reading through this collection of stories and sharing them with my child. I also really liked the included activities and author's note at the end, where the author talks about the inspiration for Rainbow Fish.I received a review copy of this book.

This was meant to be a present, so I couldn't return it in time. I had promised my niece this book, and she has been waiting patiently. When it arrived damaged, I had no choice but to accept it (because she didn't want to wait again). Absolutely disappointing!