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Rainbow Fish
Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller
The ninth book in the New York Times bestselling Rainbow Fish series.
When Rainbow Fish meets a new friend, Humbert, he isn’t sure what to think. Humbert tells all kinds of strange Somewhere at the bottom of the ocean there’s a plug!
There’s a blue whale living near here . . . and he’s going to eat up all of our food.
But before Rainbow Fish and his friends panic, they realize that Humbert just likes to make up tall tales. Rainbow Fish and his friends soon come up with an idea that might make them all happy—even Humbert.
When Rainbow Fish meets a new friend, Humbert, he isn’t sure what to think. Humbert tells all kinds of strange Somewhere at the bottom of the ocean there’s a plug!
There’s a blue whale living near here . . . and he’s going to eat up all of our food.
But before Rainbow Fish and his friends panic, they realize that Humbert just likes to make up tall tales. Rainbow Fish and his friends soon come up with an idea that might make them all happy—even Humbert.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published October 11, 2022
65 people want to read
About the author
Marcus Pfister
568 books182 followersMarcus Pfister was born in Berne, Switzerland, and began his career as a graphic artist in an advertising agency. In 1983, he decided to dedicate more time to artistic pursuits, and began to write and illustrate his first book, The Sleepy Owl, which was published in 1986. His best-known work to date is The Rainbow Fish, which has remained on bestseller lists across the United States since 1992.
Marcus does most of his illustrations for children's books in watercolors. He begins each book by stretching watercolor paper over a wooden board so that it won't warp when wet. He then copies his rough sketches onto the paper in pencil. At this point, he is ready to begin painting. For backgrounds and blended contours, he uses wet paint on wet paper to get a softer effect. For sharper details, he first lets the paper dry, then paints the final picture layer by layer. When the illustration is complete he cuts the paper from the wooden board.
For books that feature holographic foil stamping, he then tapes a piece of transparent film over the art and indicates with a black marker where the foil stamping should be. The foil stamping is then applied during the production process after the pages are printed and before the final binding.
Marcus and his wife, Kathryn, work together in Berne, where they live with their three children.
Marcus does most of his illustrations for children's books in watercolors. He begins each book by stretching watercolor paper over a wooden board so that it won't warp when wet. He then copies his rough sketches onto the paper in pencil. At this point, he is ready to begin painting. For backgrounds and blended contours, he uses wet paint on wet paper to get a softer effect. For sharper details, he first lets the paper dry, then paints the final picture layer by layer. When the illustration is complete he cuts the paper from the wooden board.
For books that feature holographic foil stamping, he then tapes a piece of transparent film over the art and indicates with a black marker where the foil stamping should be. The foil stamping is then applied during the production process after the pages are printed and before the final binding.
Marcus and his wife, Kathryn, work together in Berne, where they live with their three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
July 31, 2022
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.
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.
August 8, 2022
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is a beautifully, sparkly, illustrated children's book about a delightful Fish called Rainbow Fish. Rainbow Fish gets tricked into believing another fish, Humberts far fetched tales. After Humbert tells him there's a plug at the bottom of the ocean that another fish is going to pull and empty the sea of water, Rainbow Fish swims off to tell his friends. They're not tricked as easily and after a second tale about a big scary whale the fish are left shaken. They find a solution to this and the story ends on a positive note with a lesson to be learned for children.
This was a great book but I found the text very small and a little too much and long for the age group of children the book is aimed at.
Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is a beautifully, sparkly, illustrated children's book about a delightful Fish called Rainbow Fish. Rainbow Fish gets tricked into believing another fish, Humberts far fetched tales. After Humbert tells him there's a plug at the bottom of the ocean that another fish is going to pull and empty the sea of water, Rainbow Fish swims off to tell his friends. They're not tricked as easily and after a second tale about a big scary whale the fish are left shaken. They find a solution to this and the story ends on a positive note with a lesson to be learned for children.
This was a great book but I found the text very small and a little too much and long for the age group of children the book is aimed at.
June 9, 2022
Rainbow fish meets Humbert, a new fish, and becomes friends with him. But he is not sure about the tales Humbert tells day after day. Rainbow fish and his friends soon stop believing Humbert.
Humbert is now sad that no one wants to talk to him. Rainbow fish and his friends come up with a plan to cheer up Humbert. After all, Humbert is a storyteller. Why not ask him to tell them happy and entertaining stories instead of scary ones?
The story has a similar theme to The Boy and The Wolf but with a cute twist. Humbert is the boy here who spins false tales. But he redeems himself by becoming a storyteller for the other fish.
The illustrations are beautiful. The fish are cute and squishy. The aquatic background and blend of colors make the illustrations pleasing yet colorful.
However, the text seems to be a bit hard for little ones. The first sentence is two and a half lines long. Some dialogues are longish for kids.
Nevertheless, Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is a sweet and cute book with a moral lesson, some entertainment, and lovely illustrations.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and NorthSouth Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#RainbowFishandtheStoryteller #NetGalley
Humbert is now sad that no one wants to talk to him. Rainbow fish and his friends come up with a plan to cheer up Humbert. After all, Humbert is a storyteller. Why not ask him to tell them happy and entertaining stories instead of scary ones?
The story has a similar theme to The Boy and The Wolf but with a cute twist. Humbert is the boy here who spins false tales. But he redeems himself by becoming a storyteller for the other fish.
The illustrations are beautiful. The fish are cute and squishy. The aquatic background and blend of colors make the illustrations pleasing yet colorful.
However, the text seems to be a bit hard for little ones. The first sentence is two and a half lines long. Some dialogues are longish for kids.
Nevertheless, Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is a sweet and cute book with a moral lesson, some entertainment, and lovely illustrations.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and NorthSouth Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#RainbowFishandtheStoryteller #NetGalley
September 5, 2023
Loved this retelling of Chicken Little! Humbert is a master storyteller. So much so that his stories were almost believable. Until one day they weren't and the other fish didn't want to listen to Humbert's tall tales. Rainbow Fish wanted to change the perception of the other fish. So he and Red Fin developed a plan to have Humbert start storytelling time where Humbert could exercise his creative skills. The plan worked and all of the other fish couldn't wait for the daily storytelling time, listening to Humbert's fantastic tales.
Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is such a cute story with a life lesson attached -- that it's not okay to tell tall tales to create scaremongering. But to use that creativity for entertainment and fun.
The illustrations are superbly done with colors and graphics that pop from the pages. Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is a colorful book, with adorable characters, and a delightful story to match. Five stars.
I received a digital ARC from North South Books. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is such a cute story with a life lesson attached -- that it's not okay to tell tall tales to create scaremongering. But to use that creativity for entertainment and fun.
The illustrations are superbly done with colors and graphics that pop from the pages. Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is a colorful book, with adorable characters, and a delightful story to match. Five stars.
I received a digital ARC from North South Books. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
June 3, 2022
Thank you, North South Books Inc, for the advance review copy.
I like the concept. However, I feel the young readers of the particular age group might find the reading along a bit difficult consider it the font and the size used, also the presentation could have been way better.
A decent young readers' book.
I like the concept. However, I feel the young readers of the particular age group might find the reading along a bit difficult consider it the font and the size used, also the presentation could have been way better.
A decent young readers' book.
November 13, 2023
An imaginative and fun tale 🐠 Highly recommend the physical book because of the gorgeous and colourful illustrations; the fish have fins that glimmer! 🤩
August 24, 2023
This is a gorgeous children's book, which has beautiful illustrations showing Rainbow Fish and his friends. My daughter and I loved it. It is the ninth book in a series.
The story is about Rainbow Fish meeting his new friend, who is called Humbert. Humbert always tells weird stories, which the other fish find strange. They have to come up with a way to stop Humbert telling tales, so that they can all be friendly with each other and close.
This is a really lovely book, which I highly recommend, although I wish the ending of the book had been a bit longer.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
The story is about Rainbow Fish meeting his new friend, who is called Humbert. Humbert always tells weird stories, which the other fish find strange. They have to come up with a way to stop Humbert telling tales, so that they can all be friendly with each other and close.
This is a really lovely book, which I highly recommend, although I wish the ending of the book had been a bit longer.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
August 22, 2022
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!
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!
June 22, 2022
The Rainbow Fish is a classic in children’s picture books. Thirty years later the author is still creating new Rainbow Fish adventures. The illustrations are cute and continue in the traditional style. Hubert is a fish that likes to make up stories. But his lies cause concern among his fellow fishes. If he was just telling tall tales and the fish help him curb it I could get behind the message. But the fact he denies he ever told the lie concerns me. It’s as if he gets rewarded by getting to be a storyteller for causing alarm. If I were reading this to students in my library there could be lessons on telling the truth, correctly using imagination or creative problem solving. But it didn’t leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. Thank you to NetGalley and North South Books Inc., for a temporary eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 14, 2022
This was such a cute book! It had a great message about making friends and not telling lies to get their attention. The illustrations were beautiful and I absolutely loved all the bright colors. It was a really fun read and I think it would be great to have in a classroom library.
Kiddo (8) read it with me and enjoyed it a lot. He thought the illustrations were beautiful. He read the text out loud to me and had no problems with understanding it. He also found the idea of a plug at the bottom of the sea very funny.
I especially liked how Rainbow Fish realized Humbert was lonely and worked with him to find a way for him to use his storytelling abilities for good to make friends rather than pushing them away with lies.
*Thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing an e-arc for review.
Kiddo (8) read it with me and enjoyed it a lot. He thought the illustrations were beautiful. He read the text out loud to me and had no problems with understanding it. He also found the idea of a plug at the bottom of the sea very funny.
I especially liked how Rainbow Fish realized Humbert was lonely and worked with him to find a way for him to use his storytelling abilities for good to make friends rather than pushing them away with lies.
*Thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing an e-arc for review.
June 28, 2022
3.5 stars!
Rainbow Fish has a new friend named Humbert, who tells stories that are outrageous and for the most part unbelievable. His stories become so farfetched that the other fish wish to avoid him altogether. This gives Rainbow Fish the idea to ask Humbert to tell his stories in a way that does not offend others by his over exaggerations! Humbert is able to make friends again and the other fish actually want to hear the Storyteller's tales!
I really liked this story and do recommend for preschoolers and lower elementary children. The illustrations were the highlight of this book, they were pretty amazing!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Rainbow Fish has a new friend named Humbert, who tells stories that are outrageous and for the most part unbelievable. His stories become so farfetched that the other fish wish to avoid him altogether. This gives Rainbow Fish the idea to ask Humbert to tell his stories in a way that does not offend others by his over exaggerations! Humbert is able to make friends again and the other fish actually want to hear the Storyteller's tales!
I really liked this story and do recommend for preschoolers and lower elementary children. The illustrations were the highlight of this book, they were pretty amazing!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
June 3, 2022
Full disclosure: I received a free digital copy of this from Netgalley for reviewing purposes, though I’ll try to keep my review as unbiased as possible as I’m basically a professional book reviewer now.
Humbert, a newcomer to The Rainbow Fish saga, will do anything for attention, even if it means lying and gaining the distrust of his fish peers in doing so. He does this over and over again, each fabrication becoming more outlandish and unbelievable than the last until none of his fish buddies believe him anymore. Sound familiar? I thought it did too. But no, it’s not a rip-off of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. I was pleasantly surprised at the happy twist ending to what I felt certain would be a cautionary tale warning of the dangers of lying that would end in poor Humbert’s untimely and gruesome demise (no spoilers though!)
I don’t have children, nor do I care for or look after any. That said, I still think I would have loved this as a kid. I have fond memories of the first book in The Rainbow Fish series. In fact, it’s one of the very few books that I remember genuinely liking as a young child, and I’m certain that children today will feel the same about this addition to the series.
Humbert, a newcomer to The Rainbow Fish saga, will do anything for attention, even if it means lying and gaining the distrust of his fish peers in doing so. He does this over and over again, each fabrication becoming more outlandish and unbelievable than the last until none of his fish buddies believe him anymore. Sound familiar? I thought it did too. But no, it’s not a rip-off of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. I was pleasantly surprised at the happy twist ending to what I felt certain would be a cautionary tale warning of the dangers of lying that would end in poor Humbert’s untimely and gruesome demise (no spoilers though!)
I don’t have children, nor do I care for or look after any. That said, I still think I would have loved this as a kid. I have fond memories of the first book in The Rainbow Fish series. In fact, it’s one of the very few books that I remember genuinely liking as a young child, and I’m certain that children today will feel the same about this addition to the series.
June 21, 2022
The classic book Rainbow Fish that millennials like me grew up loving is back for our children to enjoy in this newest instalment: Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller. The story follows a "boy who cried wolf" type storyline where there is a fish who enjoys telling tall tales but is really annoying to all of the other fish who are believing his lies. Over the course of the story the other fish learns that there are other ways to use his talent for telling stories. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 3-7 who are ready to enjoy another great lesson from Rainbow Fish. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to relive my childhood momentarily as I read and reviewed this book!
June 8, 2022
We all know people that like to exaggerate and tell tales. Sometimes those stories are taken out of context and can cause chaos. Humbert is such a fish and causes chaos in the pond. With the help of his friends, he learns there is a time and place for story telling.
The Rainbow Fish books are always colorful not only in illustration but in theme as well. A great add to any book collection.
A special thank you to NorthSouth Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
The Rainbow Fish books are always colorful not only in illustration but in theme as well. A great add to any book collection.
A special thank you to NorthSouth Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
September 26, 2022
Glaub nicht alles, was man dir erzählt
Ich habe mich riesig darauf gefreut, mal wieder in eine Welt aus meiner Kindheit einzutauchen und den Regenbogenfisch bei einem seiner neuen Abenteuer zu begleiten. Die Bilder sind wiedermal super liebevoll gestaltet und unverkennbar aus dem Regenbogen Universum. Besonders die einzelnen Glitzerschuppen, die sich auf den Bildern abheben und an das allererste Abenteuer des bunten schillernden Fisches erinnern, haben bei mir pure Freude vor lauter Nostalgie ausgelöst.
Auch die Handlung der Geschichte konnte mich von sich überzeugen. Es geht dieses Mal um einen Fisch, der auf den Schwarm des Regenbogenfisches trifft und jede Menge Lügengeschichten erzählt. Hier sehen die Kinder, die dieses Buch lesen direkt anhand der Zeichnungen, wie überzogen diese Geschichten sind. Auf diese Weise lernen die Kinder, dass man Dinge durchaus hinterfragen sollte, bevor man alles glaubt, was einem erzählt wird. Den Kindern wird aber auch vermittelt, dass man einander verzeihen kann, und das man durch Veränderungen eine negative Eigenschaft zu einer positiven werden lassen kann.
Hier hätte mir die Botschaft zwar noch ein bisschen eindeutiger und punktueller für die junge Zielgruppe herausgearbeitet sein können, aber insgesamt hat mir dieses Abenteuer vom Regenbogenfisch sehr gut gefallen!
Ich vergebe 4 von 5 möglichen Sternen!
Lest fleißig,
eure Sabrina
Ich habe mich riesig darauf gefreut, mal wieder in eine Welt aus meiner Kindheit einzutauchen und den Regenbogenfisch bei einem seiner neuen Abenteuer zu begleiten. Die Bilder sind wiedermal super liebevoll gestaltet und unverkennbar aus dem Regenbogen Universum. Besonders die einzelnen Glitzerschuppen, die sich auf den Bildern abheben und an das allererste Abenteuer des bunten schillernden Fisches erinnern, haben bei mir pure Freude vor lauter Nostalgie ausgelöst.
Auch die Handlung der Geschichte konnte mich von sich überzeugen. Es geht dieses Mal um einen Fisch, der auf den Schwarm des Regenbogenfisches trifft und jede Menge Lügengeschichten erzählt. Hier sehen die Kinder, die dieses Buch lesen direkt anhand der Zeichnungen, wie überzogen diese Geschichten sind. Auf diese Weise lernen die Kinder, dass man Dinge durchaus hinterfragen sollte, bevor man alles glaubt, was einem erzählt wird. Den Kindern wird aber auch vermittelt, dass man einander verzeihen kann, und das man durch Veränderungen eine negative Eigenschaft zu einer positiven werden lassen kann.
Hier hätte mir die Botschaft zwar noch ein bisschen eindeutiger und punktueller für die junge Zielgruppe herausgearbeitet sein können, aber insgesamt hat mir dieses Abenteuer vom Regenbogenfisch sehr gut gefallen!
Ich vergebe 4 von 5 möglichen Sternen!
Lest fleißig,
eure Sabrina
June 6, 2022
Rainbow Fish is back in a new story! Rainbow Fish's new friend Humbert keeps telling stories that turn out to be tall tales that scare the other fishes. Rainbow Fish soon realizes that Humbert is just lonely. So they come up with a new idea - Humbert will be a storyteller to their friends, as long as they're not scary stories!
A cute new Rainbow Fish story.
A cute new Rainbow Fish story.
June 17, 2022
I thought this book was really well done and quite fun to read. The fish colours and background graphics were really well done! I loved the story of the fish who told white lies to fit in but learned his lesson and was able to find his place in the school of fish. I feel the author did a good job incorporating the message into the story in a way that children can identify with.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.
July 16, 2022
The Rainbow Fish stories have always been favourites in my family. This story has a character that is telling tall tales and the group of friends gather together to figure out a plan. There is a good message in this one, but it isn't my favourite Rainbow Fish story.
August 22, 2022
My kids love Rainbow Fish and this story did not disappoint. We loved learning about Herbert and I also liked the message about not telling lies. They encouraged Herbert to instead turn his imagination into something positive like storytelling.
August 26, 2022
I remember when the first Rainbow Fish book was published and arrived in the library, it was such a popular series and the kids loved it as the rainbow fish was multi-colored and had the most amazing scales that the children could touch and feel the differences. It was also a good story and the book became quite popular. Over the years, the author grew the Rainbow Fish books by introducing new characters and new adventures. When I saw this one on Netgalley, I was excited to give it a read as also the "storyteller" part captured my attention as I love books about books and stories. One day Rainbow Fish meets Humbert, another fish and he tells Rainbow Fish a scary tale. She believes him and rushes to warn the other fish and nothing happens. As the book goes along, Humbert continues to tell stories and soon the other fish get annoyed with his lies. Humbert starts to feel dejected and lonely as no one wants to hang around him due to his stories. Rainbow Fish feels sorry for Humbert and helps him put his imagination to use by putting on a show for the other fish and becoming their entertainment as a professional "fish" storyteller. Like the other books, this was a cute read and had a feel-good ending, and shows the readers that sometimes we just need a push in the right direction to discover what our talents are.
June 17, 2022
Rating: 4⭐⭐⭐⭐!!!!!!!!!
Book: Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller
Author: Marcus Pfister
Genre: Children's Fiction
Release Date: RELEASES October 11, 2022
Storytelling is a tale as old as time way for cultures to pass along stories. Well in this book, the storytelling is actually a fish not telling the truth but has no malicious intent. I thought this story was leading to a “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” plot but it didn’t end up that way. Children will be able to hear and read this story and learn that telling the truth is always the best way to go AND also being able to tell a great story is wonderful as long as everyone knows you are not passing it along as the truth. I would read this book to my kids or students, ages 2-10, grades preschool-3rd.
Thank you to @NetGalley and @NorthSouthBooksInc for an advanced copy of @RainbowFishAndTheStoryteller.
#RainbowFishAndTheStoryteller #MarcusPfister #NorthSouthBooksInc #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #childrensfiction #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #teacher #educator #classroomreads
Book: Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller
Author: Marcus Pfister
Genre: Children's Fiction
Release Date: RELEASES October 11, 2022
Storytelling is a tale as old as time way for cultures to pass along stories. Well in this book, the storytelling is actually a fish not telling the truth but has no malicious intent. I thought this story was leading to a “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” plot but it didn’t end up that way. Children will be able to hear and read this story and learn that telling the truth is always the best way to go AND also being able to tell a great story is wonderful as long as everyone knows you are not passing it along as the truth. I would read this book to my kids or students, ages 2-10, grades preschool-3rd.
Thank you to @NetGalley and @NorthSouthBooksInc for an advanced copy of @RainbowFishAndTheStoryteller.
#RainbowFishAndTheStoryteller #MarcusPfister #NorthSouthBooksInc #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #childrensfiction #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #teacher #educator #classroomreads
August 27, 2022
A cute and timely addition to the “Rainbow Fish” collection, “Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller” tells the tale of a fish, Humbert, who tells untrue, yet frightening, stories to the other fish with hopes that they will let him protect them. Rainbow Fish believes one tale for a brief moment but the other fish don’t even give the stories a second thought. In one instance, the fish use facts to dissolve Humbert’s wild tale but for his other tales, they just simply don’t listen. I wish there had been more examples of how the fish used logic to negate Humbert’s tales as I think that could have been a great teaching moment for little listeners. Equally, it would have been interesting to dive a bit into why Humbert felt the need to tell these frightening stories in the first place. Was he lonely? Misinformed? Expressing his own fears? The story resolved quickly and nicely, as expected, and the illustrations were beautiful as always, but I think the overall messaging could have been more impactful than it was.
Thank you to NetGalley and North South Books, Inc for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and North South Books, Inc for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2022
I love the rainbow fish stories and this is a great one. The Rainbow fish is met by another fish with a really big dorsal fin and he tells Rainbow that there's a big plug at the bottom of the ocean and if it is pulled out it will drain the ocean. Rainbow went to tell his friends about this news. They aren't sure they should believe this new fish because they have never heard of a plug before. But when the new fish meets his friends he tells them there is another problem now. There's a group of fish that is threatening them and they are going to take over their territory. The new fish says he will protect them. They don't think he is telling the truth something just doesn't seem right. The next day he had more bad news. There is a blue whale living near here he is going to eat all our food. They stopped believing him because his stories just kept getting bigger and bigger. One day they saw him all by himself. They decided that they could use his talents in a different way. He could tell stories but not tell them as if they were true. Then everyone was happy.
June 6, 2022
I have read other Rainbow Fish books with my children and while we have enjoyed others, this was not our favorite. Rainbow Fish and the Storyteller is a take on The Boy Who Cried Wolf, with a focus on exaggeration rather than lying.
What was a miss for me was the ending of the book. After finding a great resolution to Humberts' exaggeration issue, his imagination gets in the way during his storytelling time and the other fish laugh at him until he is red in the face. After the embarrassing encounter, Humbert collects himself enough to continue on with his storytelling and the fish wind up loving his tales but the embarrassment, or how Humbert overcame it, is never mentioned again. As an adult, I had to re-read the last sentence for the sentence to make sense and was left scratching my head why a children's book was written this way. "It was not long before none of the fish ever wanted to miss a single storytelling time with Humbert."
What was a miss for me was the ending of the book. After finding a great resolution to Humberts' exaggeration issue, his imagination gets in the way during his storytelling time and the other fish laugh at him until he is red in the face. After the embarrassing encounter, Humbert collects himself enough to continue on with his storytelling and the fish wind up loving his tales but the embarrassment, or how Humbert overcame it, is never mentioned again. As an adult, I had to re-read the last sentence for the sentence to make sense and was left scratching my head why a children's book was written this way. "It was not long before none of the fish ever wanted to miss a single storytelling time with Humbert."
June 10, 2022
I grew up with Rainbow Fish and was excited to see another book in the series. Humbert is a fish who makes up tales that scare the other fish - like all the water will drain out of the ocean from a plug. After telling a lot of these made-up tales the other fish stop talking to him. Rainbow fish suggests he becomes a storyteller with positive stories instead.
The illustrations are beautiful and colorful, I'm sure even more so in a physical copy of the book. I loved the variety of fish drawn. The lesson is to not exaggerate or tell stories that are untrue. I felt like Humbert didn't have much of a redemption, as even when acting as a storyteller he started to exaggerate and get red in the face. I would say it's probably best for ages 3/4 and up as there are big paragraphs of text that did not keep my 2 year old's attention. Overall it was very cute. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.
The illustrations are beautiful and colorful, I'm sure even more so in a physical copy of the book. I loved the variety of fish drawn. The lesson is to not exaggerate or tell stories that are untrue. I felt like Humbert didn't have much of a redemption, as even when acting as a storyteller he started to exaggerate and get red in the face. I would say it's probably best for ages 3/4 and up as there are big paragraphs of text that did not keep my 2 year old's attention. Overall it was very cute. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.
July 11, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and North South Books, Inc for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and to write a review.
We revisit Rainbow Fish and his friends in the ocean. Our new character is Humbert and he likes to tell stories…much like the boy who cried wolf. Using these familiar characters will make this story believable and help children feel empathetic about the negative way these lies make their fish friends feel.
But instead of getting angry and staying angry, Rainbow Fish leads the pack to help Humbert be able to tell fiction stories. He becomes a beloved story teller, and all the fish look forward to his story time.
As a teacher, this reminds me of giving the class clown the floor to tell jokes throughout the day. The fish were able to creatively let Humbert be his storytelling self without causing them anxiety or damaging their relationship. What a wonderful way to solve a problem in the most empathetic way . ❤️🌈🐠
We revisit Rainbow Fish and his friends in the ocean. Our new character is Humbert and he likes to tell stories…much like the boy who cried wolf. Using these familiar characters will make this story believable and help children feel empathetic about the negative way these lies make their fish friends feel.
But instead of getting angry and staying angry, Rainbow Fish leads the pack to help Humbert be able to tell fiction stories. He becomes a beloved story teller, and all the fish look forward to his story time.
As a teacher, this reminds me of giving the class clown the floor to tell jokes throughout the day. The fish were able to creatively let Humbert be his storytelling self without causing them anxiety or damaging their relationship. What a wonderful way to solve a problem in the most empathetic way . ❤️🌈🐠
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2022
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!
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!
July 31, 2022
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.
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.
December 11, 2022
I have always enjoyed the story of "Rainbow Fish" and was excited to see a new installment in the series. In this book, there is a fish named Humbert who tells Rainbow Fish and his friends tall tales in order to get attention. The other fish decide that they don't like being scared by Humbert so stop listening to him. Then they feel bad that Humbert is alone and devise a plan for him to share his stories in a more positive way.
The illustrations are beautiful, as with all of the books in this series. The story was simple and taught lessons about telling the truth and about friendship. Children of preschool and Kindergarten age will enjoy this story. It could also be used in the classroom for teachers to introduce storytelling and have the students create their own stories to share.
Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #RainbowFishandtheStoryteller by #MarcusPfister - 3.5 stars
The illustrations are beautiful, as with all of the books in this series. The story was simple and taught lessons about telling the truth and about friendship. Children of preschool and Kindergarten age will enjoy this story. It could also be used in the classroom for teachers to introduce storytelling and have the students create their own stories to share.
Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #RainbowFishandtheStoryteller by #MarcusPfister - 3.5 stars
June 25, 2022
Who was Humbert?
Children's literature is exciting, but it is difficult not to spoil the content and this book was one of these books, by creating an issue when writing a review. This child's literature was originally published in 1992. Many of the subject matters were unintentional, especially for today's reader. For example, the fish were rainbow in color, which were a perfect book book celebrating Gay days and the unconventional family unit.. When our child was young, we took a vacation and the one activity, which was her favorite, was a story teller. The storyteller also informed the group
It turns out that Humbert was the storyteller.
An outstanding, published in 1992 and its holding up well.
Thank you, NetGalley, North South Books, and Marcus Pfister for the privilege of reading this outstand book in exchange for a honest review.
Children's literature is exciting, but it is difficult not to spoil the content and this book was one of these books, by creating an issue when writing a review. This child's literature was originally published in 1992. Many of the subject matters were unintentional, especially for today's reader. For example, the fish were rainbow in color, which were a perfect book book celebrating Gay days and the unconventional family unit.. When our child was young, we took a vacation and the one activity, which was her favorite, was a story teller. The storyteller also informed the group
It turns out that Humbert was the storyteller.
An outstanding, published in 1992 and its holding up well.
Thank you, NetGalley, North South Books, and Marcus Pfister for the privilege of reading this outstand book in exchange for a honest review.
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