including The Rainbow Fish. The Rainbow Fish is finally happy even though he only had one shiny scale left. Theme A Publishers Weekly reviewer called the book a "cautionary tale about selfishness and vanity". Its central theme is about the importance of sharing with others and how that leads to happiness. Origin of the Rainbow Fish The Rainbow Fish was originally published in 1992. At that time, Marcus Pfister suggested using holographic foil for the scales, a technique used in graphic design but not yet seen in children's books. Pfister says in an interview, "The expense was a big issue. Because of the foil, each copy of the book cost double the amount of the normal price of producing a book. With the cost, it was quite difficult for Davy [the editor] to decide whether to do the foil. So we decided that I’d get only 50% of my usual royalties for the book, and only that way was it possible to make it work." The Rainbow Fish was developed from another book Pfister had previously illustrated, The Sleepy Owl. In an interview with Publishers Weekly, Pfister said, "Well, I had published some other books after The Sleepy Owl – there were some Christmas books and Penguin Pete – but Brigitte Sidjanski, founder of NordSud, had always liked my first book, and suggested I do another book similar to that. So I thought that if a new book was to have something in common with that book, the character should resemble an owl. But I really didn’t want to draw another bird. Then one day, I had a copy of The Sleepy Owl by my desk, and I looked closely at that character, and I realized I could create a fish character that would be quite similar to the owl. So the feathers became scales. And then I began thinking about the story, and I came up with the idea of a colorful fish." Book series There are sequels in the Rainbow Fish book series: Rainbow Fish to the Rescue!: About the acceptance and integration of foreigners. Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale: About arguments and how to settle them. The Rainbow Fish and the Sea Monsters' Cave: About irrational and rational fears. Rainbow Fish Finds his Way: With the help of his new friends, Rainbow Fish finds his way back home. Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Sea: About