Testing the Ice by Sharon Robinson

Module 6/SLIS 5420/July 12-17

Bibliography

Robinson, Sharon. (2009). Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
978-0-545-05251-1

Summary

Jackie Robinson wasn't only the first black baseball player to shatter the barrier and join Major League Baseball, but he was an even more courageous dad. Through this story, his daughter, Sharon Robinson tells the story of Jackie Robinson's greatest achievment - being a great father.

My Impressions

I adored this story. Robinson is able to juxtapose her father testing the ice in both baseball and one of his biggest fears. Although he won't swim, for his kids, he goes out onto the cold Connecticut lake to test the ice for his eager, skate-happy kids, and proves himself to be the bravest dad in the world. It's a heart-warming story about family that teaches kids history too!

Reviews

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

Suggested Library Use

I would use this book for a variety of library activities - a history segment, baseball history or a Father's Day story time.