About The Rainbow Fish

Rainbow Fish, with his beautiful sparkling silver scales, was the most beautiful fish in the ocean. Despite Rainbow Fish's beauty, he was not happy. Rainbow Fish did not have any friends. When he thoughtlessly hurts the feeling of one of his many admirers, the other fish in the ocean ignore him. Rainbow Fish's beautiful scales are the most important thing in the ocean to him. He must decide whether his beauty is more important than having friends. Rainbow Fish gets some very good advice from a wise octopus and learns what real happiness really is.

About Rainbow Fish A,B,C

Rainbow Fish A,B,C is a wonderful companion book to the classic preschool book, The Rainbow Fish. This whimsical variation of the A,B,C song with an underwater twist will have preschoolers excited to sing the A,B,C's.

This book increases your preschoolers print awareness and builds the foundation for important pre-reading skills. It is a great addition to a preschool fish theme or as an addition to The Rainbow Fish.

From the Reviewer

The Rainbow Fish has always been one of my favorite preschool books. My sons and I have spent many nights snuggling together and learning what being a true friend is about with Rainbow Fish. The bright colors and glittery scales of Rainbow Fish are mesmerizing to preschoolers. Preschoolers will love the textured pages.

The story teaches a wonderful lesson about sharing and friendship. For preschoolers, sharing is such a struggle. Rainbow Fish helps them to understand that life is about more than the things that we own. True happiness comes from sharing our lives with our friends and family.

Preschool Book Details

Reading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 24 pagesPublisher: North-South; Tra edition (September 1, 1992)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1558580093ISBN-13: 978-1558580091Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches

Hi! I'm Rachel Lister, the Preschool Education writer at PreschoolRock.com. I live in Utah with my husband and two beautiful boys. When my oldest son was born, I quit my teaching job and opened a home daycare and preschool. I love to help preschoolers learn about the world around them. They make life interesting and I can't imagine doing anything different. If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments, feel free to contact me.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Read aloud daily for at least 15 minutes. This single habit is the strongest predictor of kindergarten reading readiness and long-term academic success.

• Mistakes are how children learn. A classroom and home that treat mistakes as information rather than failure produces more confident, persistent learners.

• Field trips — even to the grocery store, the post office, or the library — are powerful educational experiences. Real-world contexts anchor abstract concepts in memory.

• Involve children in planning: menus, weekend activities, family projects. Decision-making and planning are executive function skills that predict long-term academic success.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the role of technology in preschool education?

High-quality educational apps and programs (PBS Kids, Khan Academy Kids, Starfall) used in limited, adult-co-viewed sessions can supplement preschool learning. However, interactive human experiences (conversation, shared book reading, hands-on experimentation, social play) remain far superior as primary learning modes. Screen-based learning is most effective when it is: co-viewed with an adult, limited to 30–60 minutes per day, followed by extension activities in the real world (after a nature app, go outside), and consistently educational rather than commercial.

Related reading: See also our read-aloud guide and our kindergarten readiness guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 📚 Pre-Reading Skills — Activities that involve letters, sounds, rhymes, and print directly build the phonological awareness and letter knowledge that are the two strongest predictors of successful reading development.
• 🌐 World Knowledge — Background knowledge about the world dramatically accelerates reading comprehension — children who know more understand more of what they read — making every content-area learning experience a literacy investment.
• 😊 Love of Learning — Positive early learning experiences build a child's identity as a learner — and children who see themselves as curious, capable learners approach school with the engagement and resilience that matter more than any specific skill.
• 🧠 Memory & Recall — Remembering rules, retelling a story in sequence, and practicing skills to automaticity builds working memory and long-term recall — the cognitive foundation that learning in every subject depends on.

The Rainbow Fish is a classic story that preschool children can really relate to. Preschoolers love watching as Rainbow Fish learns what being happy is all about. Partner this book with Rainbow Fish A,B,C for a wonderful lesson that will appeal to your preschoolers and teach them important kindergarten readiness skills.

From The Rainbow Fish

"A long way out in the deep blue sea there lived a fish. Not just an ordinary fish, but the most beautiful fish in the entire ocean. His scales were every shade of blue and green and purple, with sparkling silver scales among them. The other fish were amazed at his beauty. They called him Rainbow Fish. "Come on, Rainbow Fish," they would call. "Come and play with us!" But the Rainbow Fish would just glide past, proud and silent, letting his scales shimmer."