ALA Booklist

A sequel to the enormously popular Rainbow Fish (1992), in which our hero makes friends by sharing his sparkling scales with his plainer cousins, this picture book continues the theme of belonging. When Rainbow Fish and his friends exclude a little striped fish from their game of flash tag simply because he doesn't have a flashing scale, Rainbow Fish wants to help. Unfortunately, he's afraid that he'll lose his friends if he goes against the flow. It takes a threatening shark for Rainbow Fish to rally his friends to the rescue and for the fish to accept the newcomer. Parents and teachers will find the book a good vehicle for discussing courage in the face of peer pressure. Children will find the iridescent silver highlights in the watercolor artwork beguiling and the emotions played out underwater familiar from the playground. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1995)

Horn Book

Rainbow Fish risks his life to save a striped fish from a shark only moments after he and his friends have excluded the fish from their game of tag. As in 'Rainbow Fish' (North-South), the sparkly foil scales pasted to the watercolors outshine the heavily didactic text.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Rainbow Fish, that glittery piscine, is back, this time with another moral to impart. Readers will remember how he learned to share in the original tale (The Rainbow Fish), doling out his shimmering scales to all the have-nots, and this story finds him and his sparkling school of friends at play--but bent on excluding a little striped fish who wants to join in all their games. Rainbow Fish is a little ashamed, remembering as he does what it feels like to have no friends. So when a shark appears and imperils the dejected interloper, it's Rainbow Fish who leads the rescue mission. The main appeal of Pfister's books is not the stories but the pretty pictures--pastel watercolors peppered with holographic foil-stamp overlays that glimmer and gleam--and this new volume amply serves up more of same. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3--When a little striped fish approaches the established school of fish, each of whom has one silver scale, and asks if he can play, he is turned away because he is not equipped to play ``flash tag.'' Although Rainbow Fish remembers how it felt to be excluded, he does not come to the rescue until later when the school escapes a snapping shark's jaws, leaving the striped fish to fend for himself. Then Rainbow Fish spearheads the school's diversionary maneuvers and leads the smaller fish to safety. The next game is changed so that the new member of the group can join in. Pfister uses the same ocean-hued watercolors and foil-stamped scales that he used to illustrate Rainbow Fish (North-South, 1992). The faces of the fish reflect the emotions of the text, from derision to fear. The shark is appropriately fearsome. Although it is not mandatory to have read the earlier title first, it would be helpful in order to understand his recollection of his loneliness before he shared his scales and became one of the group. The gently implied themes of sharing and friendship in the first story are expanded here to include courage. Groups may be inspired to talk about befriending others, even if they are different, or about doing what is right, even if it is not popular.--Betty Teague, Blythe Elementary School, Greenville SC