Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson (by Sharon Robinson)

Most people know, and admire, Jackie Robinson for the grace and courage with which he broke through the color barrier in baseball. This story, told by his daughter, shows that he had the same kind of genuine patience and bravery in other aspects of his life as well. Though he is afraid of water, and never learned to swim, he was willing to walk out on the ice to test its firmness before she and her friends go ice skating. He makes no excuses, and puts worries for his own safety aside to keep her, and the other neighborhood kids, out of harm ... and to let them have fun. 

Any story of Jackie Robinson has the potential to inspire. Most of us have heard, or read, about how he patiently blazed a pathway into racially segregated baseball of the '40s. But this memory, told through the loving and admiring eyes of his daughter, adds a personal dimension to the Jackie Robinson story, and definitely shows how his courage ran through and through. He was the real deal.

Just as Jackie Robinson stepped out on the baseball field, not really knowing what would happen but willing to take the chance for others, he steps out on the ice pond to test it for his kids, even though he could not swim. This seems to be the way he lived his life. And, Kadir Nelson's artwork adds just the right touch. His amazing watercolor portraits capture the determination, bravery, and genuine kindness of Robinson's spirt.  

Expressively rich watercolors by Caldecott winning illustrator Kadir Nelson give a sincere realism to this inspirational story. His characters, especially Jackie Robinson, are large and full of life, filling page after page with scenes of tenderness, strength, and genuine family fun.