Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson [Hardcover]

Sharon Robinson (Author), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009 | Age Range: 7 - 10 years | Series: Testing the Ice | Lexile Measure: 800L (What's this?)

Sharon Robinson, the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, has crafted a hearwarming, true story about growing up with her father.

When Jackie Robinson retires from baseball and moves his family to Connecticut, the beautiful lake on their property is the center of everyone's fun. The neighborhood children join the Robinson kids for swimming and boating. But oddly, Jackie never goes near the water.
In a dramatic episode that first winter, the children beg to go ice skating on the lake. Jackie says they can go--but only after he tests the ice to make sure it's safe. The children prod and push to get Jackie outside, until hesitantly, he finally goes. Like a blind man with a stick, (contd.)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—An affectionate tribute to Robinson's father's courage and character. In 1955, the family leaves New York City for a lakeside home in an idyllic, woodsy setting in Connecticut. Sharon and her brothers quickly make friends with the neighborhood kids and spend much of their time playing in and around the lake, though she notices that her dad never joins them in the water. Her new friends are awestruck by him and his stories of his breakthrough into the Major Leagues. When he bravely tests the ice so that the children can play on the frozen lake, Sharon realizes that he can't swim. Robinson neatly sums up the significance of her father's achievements while depicting him as a loving family man. Nelson's large paintings, done in pencil, watercolor, and oils, dramatically convey Robinson's public persona, the intensely competitive athlete, and contrasts that with the relaxed, yet commanding father Sharon and her brothers knew. This book is for a younger audience than the author's Jackie's Nine: Jackie Robinson's Values to Live By (2001) and Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America (2004, both Scholastic), but it adds another facet to children's understanding of the man and should resonate with a wide range of readers.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA END

About the Author

Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, is the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction. She has also written several widely praised nonfiction books about her father, including JACKIE'S NINE: BECOMING YOUR BEST SELF and PROMISES TO KEEP: HOW JACKIE ROBINSON CHANGED AMERICA.


Kadir Nelson illustrated two Caldecott Honor Books: MOSES and HENRY'S FREEDOM BOX. ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET by Ntozake Shange won the Coretta Scott King Award. Will Smith’s JUST THE TWO OF US won an NAACP Image Award, and his new book, WE ARE THE SHIP continues to garner major awards. Nelson showed artistic talent at age 3 and began working in oils by age 16. He lives with his family in San Diego, California.

Product Details

• Age Range: 7 - 10 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780545052511
• ISBN-13: 978-0545052511
• ASIN: 0545052513
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > African-American

More About the Author

Sharon Robinson is an author and educational consultant for Major League Baseball (MLB). She has written four books about her father, including most recently Jackie's Gift: A true Story of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Jackie Robinson with illustrator E.B. Lewis (Viking, 2010), Testing the Ice: A true story of Jackie Robinson with illustrator, Kadir Nelson (Scholastic, 2009). She has also written two middle-grade novels. In her work with MLB, Ms Robinson directs the national character education program: Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life. The program is in it's 16th year and has reached over 22 million children. Prior to joining Major League Baseball, Sharon had a twenty-year career as a nurse-midwife. She taught in such prestigious universities as: Columbia, Howard, Georgetown, and Yale. Ms. Robinson holds a BS from Howard University and MS from Columbia University as well as several honorary doctorates. Sharon Robinson lives in New York City and Apollo Beach, Florida. Learn more about Sharon and her books at www.sharonrobinsonink.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of Jackie, in words and drawings December 3, 2009

By E. Costello

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is an exploration of how Jackie Robinson overcame one of his personal fears in order to be a good parent to his daughter and her friends. It adds a very human dimension to the Jackie Robinson "story" that many baseball fans do not know, and further enhances the legend of this extraordinary man. It is written and illustrated for children, and my two grandkids (6 and 8) loved it from the first page. Unlike many children's books, there appears to have been close collaboration between the author and the illustrator, and the illustration themselves frequently take up an entire page. I recommend it without reservation, and have reread it (by request) to my grandchildren several times already.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars kids and parents must read November 2, 2010

By trina neal

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

enjoyed this book. makes for a pleasant read and leaves you with a positive message.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars very touching December 19, 2009

By Kirsten G. Cutler

Format:Hardcover

This is a very touching tribute by a loving daughter to her famous father's exhibition of bravery: his display of courage in two separate situations when he was the first black man to integrate a major baseball team, and when he tested the ice on a lake before letting his children and their friends go skating even though he did not know how to swim. Juxtaposing the two stories of bravery makes the concept of the courage involved in integrating a sports club easier for young children to understand. This inspirational picture book showcases vibrant and singular illustrations created with pencil, watercolor and oil paint.