Module 6: Testing the Ice

Bibliography:  Robinson, S.  (2009). Testing the Ice. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Summary: Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson, tells a story involving her father that took place at the family home in Stamford, Connecticut.  She recalls how the lake next to the home was a favorite playground for her, her siblings, and their friends.  Season after season they would try and get Jackie to play with them out on the lake but he always refused.  One winter they convinced him to take them ice skating on the lake and he agreed.  With extreme reluctance, he ventured onto the ice and tested it to make sure the children could use it safely.  Only later did Sharon find out he could not swim and testing the ice took a great deal of courage.  She also relates how he displayed the same courage years earlier when he broke the color barrier in major league baseball by becoming the first black player to turn pro.

Impressions:   I enjoyed this book because it allows the reader to see a different side of Jackie Robinson.  Most only know him as the historical figure who paved the way for other black players to enter the world of pro baseball.  It is refreshing to see that he displayed the same courage in his home life that he displayed in his professional one.  Young readers (especially sports fans) will learn quite a bit about who Jackie Robinson is and what he accomplished in the fight for civil rights.  The illustrations in the book are so well done they are almost like photographs and add strong emotion to the story.

Reviews:

“Jackie Robinson’s bravery extended well beyond the world of baseball, as demonstrated in this heartwarming family story by his daughter, Sharon. At their lakeside home in Stamford, Connecticut, Jackie never joins his children in their aquatic activities. Sharon eventually realizes her father can’t swim, but it takes a frozen-over lake and Jackie’s brave testing of the ice for Sharon to fully appreciate the courage that defined her father’s life. A brief author’s note gives details about Jackie’s contribution to integration in baseball. Nelson’s sumptuous illustrations, with larger-than-life figures and beautiful landscapes filling the double-page spreads, are perfectly suited to the text. The baseball scenes are clearly on par with those in Nelson’s highly praised We Are the Ship (2008), and the spreads with the children interacting with Jackie have a Norman Rockwell–like quality. Pair with Teammates, by Peter Golenbock (1990), about Jackie Robinson’s bravery on the playing field.” – Randall Enos (Booklist)

Enos, R. (2009). Testing the Ice Review. Booklist (Vol. 106., No. 4). Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2378/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/~LN3IQn:1

“Sharon Robinson begins her story by briefly recounting the events of her father’s life, Jackie Robinson, who was the first African-American to play baseball for the all-white Major League. The story moves quickly to the Robinsons’ new home in rural Stamford, Connecticut where they lived on a six-acre estate with a large forest and a small lake near the house. Sharon remembers a happy childhood filled with playing outside and swimming in the lake with friends and neighbors. She also enjoys hearing her father tell the story of his struggles and triumphs over racism while breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. One cold winter day the children decide they want to go ice-skating on the frozen lake and beg their father for permission. Jackie had always been reluctant to go in the water with the children because he did not know how to swim. Yet, he summons the courage to walk out on the frozen lake to make sure the ice was firm enough for the children to skate on. What follows is a frightening moment for Jackie and the children when the ice rumbles below his feet and danger immediately becomes apparent. Sharon Robinsons uses the story of her father literally testing the ice on a frozen pond as a metaphor for his breaking of the race barrier in professional baseball. The book effectively compares these two incidents for children who cannot fathom the unbelievable courage required for either of these acts. The stunning realism of Nelson’s illustrations help to facilitate the larger-than-life persona Robinson assigns to her father.” – George DuBose (Children’s Literature)

DuBose, G. (2009). Testing the Ice Review. Children’s Literature. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2378/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/~LN3IQn:1

Suggestions for Use in a Library:

Bring a large poster board and several markers.  After reading the story to a group of children, ask each one to think of someone they know who has done something brave.  They can then write that person’s name and a little something about them on the board.  Display the board in the children’s section of the library.