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Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that these fish can be whiny and smart-alecky. They tease one another, and there's a kind of supposedly good-natured mocking of the character who makes good grades that's exactly the kind of example kids don't need.

Families can discuss the lessons in friendship presented by the show. Why do you think the characters say what they do? How does that make their friends feel? Families might also want to go beyond the obvious lessons and talk about some of the issues the show ignores, like whether the way the friends tease each other is really kind, or the amount of under-the-sea junk food they eat. Or they could just give all that up and talk about why this show is so lame before choosing something else to watch.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: KJ Dell'Antonia

RAINBOW FISH takes Marcus Pfister's popular book for toddlers and preschoolers and attempts, with little success, to turn it into a program for young school-age kids.

The audience for the book will be mystified by characters doing math, discussing grades, and participating in undersea sports. And the older kids who might understand the stories will be bored by the lack of real conflict or characters.

There's no real point in making these characters fish, unless it's an attempt to rope in fans of Disney's Nemo, and there's no connection to the original book other than the title character's appearance. The book provides a lesson on friendship, and those are ostensibly the lessons provided within the show, too, but they're not particularly well done.

There's really nothing to hold a kid's attention here, and certainly nothing for a grown-up watching along. Only the biggest fans of the book will want to tune in.

Better choices include Arthur or, if it's aquatic themes they're after, SpongeBob SquarePants . Younger fans will prefer Clifford the Big Red Dog.

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