Scaredy-Cat Fish

by Gail Donovan, Marcus Pfister

After Spike makes fun of Dyna, Rainbow Fish decides it's time to face his own fears head on. But that means venturing into the Deep, where young fish are forbidden to go. Luckily, Jonah the whale is there to protect Rainbow Fish and teach him a valuable lesson about common sense.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

24 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Gail Donovan was fired from her first job in an ice cream shop for making the sundaes too big. She now works in a library and writes middle grade novels, including IN MEMORY OF GORFMAN T. FROG, named to the New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing list; FINCHOSAURUS, winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award; as well as the trilogy SPARROW BEING SPARROW (Publishers Weekly, starred review), SPARROW SPREADS HER WINGS (Maine Literary Award winner for Young People's Literature), and SPARROW, ALWAYS. She has also written for the Rainbow Fish & Friends picture book series based on the bestselling work of Marcus Pfister. Donovan lives on the coast of Maine, where she jumps in the ocean all year round.

Reviews

[Kylie Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun children’s book about being scared of something

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: This is a great book about being afraid. Rainbow fish is afraid of the deep and Spike makes fun of him for it. Another fish tells Rainbow fish that he should face his fears so Rainbow fish does just that. He goes to the edge by the deep and is met by the giant whale who watches out for the little fish. Rainbow fish learns that its ok to be afraid and that even though the giant whale is looking out for him, he should still listen to the little voice in his head.

Evaluation: I would use this book for a discussion on picking on people. I thought it was a great example of overcoming your fears and not allowing others to bring you down because of a fear. It was also great at the end when the fish doing the teasing realized that he too gets afraid sometimes. I would use this book with all elementary ages because I think this is something that all students go through. It could also be a great beginning of the year text to build community in the classroom.

Grade Level: K-3

Publication Year: 2002

Discussion Points:
- Stranger danger safety talks
- Fears and how everyone has them and its ok to be afraid sometimes
- Facing your fear to get over them
- Adults will look out for you but you have to look out for yourself as well.

[Lucero Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon hearing about the scary whale in the deep waters, Rainbow Fish becomes determined to face his fears and go see for himself just how scary the whale is. Fortunately, the whale turns out to be nice and friendly. He tells rainbow fish that sometimes it is okay to be afraid and it is important to have common sense and not make unsafe decisions. Rainbow Fish learns a valuable lesson about facing fears and using common sense. This would be a useful book to use for encouraging students to think before they act or speak (use their own common sense). Then they can think about situations that they have lived through in which they could have made better choices.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself reading it multiple times due to the great illustrations and reminding message that being scared isn't a bad thing. The book is very colorful and eye catching for the audience. Due to the universal message, I feel that this book could be read to a range of grade levels. Children need to be reminded, in a world where bullies and judgmental thoughts exist, that being scared isn't a bad thing. Having a fear, like the book says, simply shows that you have common sense and don't feel comfortable with something.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gail Donovan incorporated two important aspects into this one book. This book is a great way to show students about facing fear and treating people with respect. Although facing our fears is not always easy, Donovan gives a playful way on how to do this. We see that everyone can be scared of something, and worrying about it will not help. Facing fears may be hard, but with the right encouragement it can be done.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must have for a classroom. This book represents that everyone fears something, and it is all right to be afraid at times. Gail Donovan does a great job of showing that no matter how big or small, how old or young you are, we all have something that we fear.

I enjoyed the message of this book so much that I will include it into my own library as well as my classroom. This is a joy to read to children of varying ages, and perfect for the younger ages.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would use this for circle me if a similar situation occurred in my classroom. I like how they handled the child who was teasing others for their fears.I like this book because it is based off of a very realistic situation. I do not like that it encourages children to break the rules as a way of facing their fears.

Interest Level
Grades PreK - 3
Reading Level
Grade level Equivalent: 2.9

[Megan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to teach children about fears and how to face those fears. Beautiful pictures and a very nice story.