You can't win them all, Rainbow Fish

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The eighth book in the New York Times bestselling Rainbow Fish series.

Everyone loses once in a while. But being a good sport when you lose isn't always easy--not even for Rainbow Fish. A lighthearted look at accepting loss without losing your sparkle!

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Pfister's glittery-scaled fish returns, just in time for the character's 25th anniversary, in a story about being a good sport. Rainbow Fish is having an off day playing hide and seek with his fellow fish, and when his frustrations boil over, he lashes out. "Well, I think it's a dumb game and I'm not playing!" he shouts before swimming off; a heart-to-heart with another fish and a round of apologies from Rainbow Fish set things right. It's a story very much in service of the message it aims to impart; families struggling with sore losers in their ranks may find it a useful teaching tool. Ages 4-8. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Being a good sport when things do not go your way is a hard lesson for many preschoolers. In this welcome addition to the Rainbow Fish series, Rainbow Fish is confident in his hide-and-seek skills, but when new friend Red Fin and then even Little Blue, a young and inexperienced player, successfully beat him, Rainbow Fish is frustrated and upset. Instead of accepting loss as part of the game, he leaves his friends in anger. Little Blue worries that he did something wrong, when he was only giving the game his best effort. The message about good sportsmanship is delivered in a nonjudgmental manner. Short, simple, and to the point, the text makes clear why children in a similar situation would be unhappy, and how to resolve matters peacefully. Red Fin reminds Rainbow Fish that friends are more important than winning, and points out that Rainbow Fish's behavior is spoiling the fun for everyone. Pfister's signature art style, with vivid colors, fuzzy outlines, and the iconic foil highlights, is well suited to the gentle story.--Whitehurst, Lucinda Copyright 2017 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Rainbow Fish gets a lesson in good sportsmanship during a game of hide-and-seek. Frustrated by his friends' excellent hiding spots, Rainbow Fish swims angrily off: "I think it's a dumb game, and I'm not playing!" Rainbow Fish's too-quick one-eighty ("I was acting like a poor sport") is consistent with this series' moralistic tone. Pfister's sparkly undersea illustrations lend familiarity if not originality for fans. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Twenty-five years after the original shimmering publication, Rainbow Fish returns to learn a lesson in good sportsmanship.Rainbow Fish and his friends are playing hide-and-seek. Rainbow Fish is the first to be "it." He has played this game so many times he believes that he knows all the hiding places in the shoal. Overconfident, he sets off to look. But he can't find anyone! One by one the fish swim out of their hiding places, much to Rainbow Fish's chagrin. Then, when Little Blue is the seeker, he finds Rainbow Fish immediately. Rainbow Fish angrily throws a tantrum and swims away. The newest character to the series, Red Fin, gently explains to Rainbow Fish that sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. An apology neatly wraps up this aquatic morality tale. Translated from German, the text is didactic and straightforward; the one textual bright spot is an enthusiastic, "I'll find you in a fishy flash!" Lending visual sparkle, of course, is the series' trademark foil scales. Saturated blues and greens, with splashes of yellow and pink, infuse the underwater world. Pfister tackles a common frustration with which youngsters will relate; unfortunately, glittery scales are the only thing to add shine to these lackluster depths. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.