The Rainbow Fish

The Rainbow Fish is a 1992 illustrated children’s book by Swiss author Marcus Pfister. Pfister writes and illustrates children’s books and published the six-book Rainbow Fish series from 1992 until 2009. The series offers cautionary tales of morality and follows its title character, Rainbow Fish. The story was even adapted into an animated series that aired in Canada from 1999 to 2001. The first book in the series, The Rainbow Fish, introduces Rainbow Fish, who lives far out in the sea and dazzles the sea’s inhabitants with his beautiful scales. Rainbow Fish wants the other sea creatures to possess the beauty they see and gradually gives away his scales until he has none left.

The Rainbow Fish begins by explaining that Rainbow Fish is known as the most beautiful fish in the ocean. His scales sparkle with every color of the rainbow, including silver ones among them. Initially proud, the Rainbow Fish rejects the other fish’s appeals to play, instead gliding past proudly.

Rainbow Fish’s routine changes when one day, a small blue fish follows him asking for a scale. The little fish argues that Rainbow Fish has plenty to give away. Rainbow Fish becomes upset and tells the little fish to go away. The little fish shares this news to the other fish, and they decide to shun Rainbow Fish, turning away at the sight of his scales.



Rainbow Fish no longer knows his own value because no one will appreciate his scales. He becomes the loneliest fish in the ocean. He reaches out to the starfish, asking why no one likes him despite his beauty. The starfish says that he cannot answer the question and sends him outside the coral reef to a deep cave, the dwelling of the wise octopus.

Rainbow Fish finds the wise octopus’s cave. At first, he can’t see in the gloom, but her bright eyes emerge. The octopus says that she has been waiting for Rainbow Fish after hearing his story from the waves. As a solution to his problem, she proposes that Rainbow Fish give one of his scales to each of the other fish. If he does this, the octopus thinks he will have learned how to be happy.

Rainbow Fish tells the octopus that he can’t give away his scales, but she has already disappeared. The little blue fish from before approaches him and asks for a scale. The Rainbow Fish concedes and gives him his smallest scale.



The little blue fish rejoices and thanks Rainbow Fish, tucking the rainbow scale into his own scales. At that moment, Rainbow Fish sees his joy and feels the emotion of giving charity.

The little blue fish flaunts his rainbow scale around the reef, and soon Rainbow Fish is surrounded by others who want his scales. Rainbow Fish shares his scales with everyone, becoming happier and happier.

At the end of the book, Rainbow Fish looks around and feels happy at last in seeing his scales distributed among the fish of the coral reef. With one scale remaining for himself, he ventures off to play with the other fish. Throughout the story of the Rainbow Fish, Pfister imparts the moral lesson that true happiness cannot be obtained by privilege or private wealth, but rather in what a member of a community shares with the rest.