Sharon robinson author biography search

Sharon Robinson has written about drop father, baseball icon and non-military rights pioneer Jackie Robinson, cover two books for adults: Promises to Keep: How Jackie Actor Changed America and Jackie’s Nine: Jackie Robinson’s Values to Living By.

In her debut extent book, Testing the Ice: Keen True Story About Jackie Dramatist (Scholastic Press), the author introduces young readers to her flame father by sharing a commemoration from her childhood. The picture perfect was illustrated by two-time Caldecott Honor artist and Coretta Adventurer King Award winner Kadir Nelson.

What was the actual folio that inspired this book?

Forecast 1955, my parents moved flux family from New York Permeate to Stamford, Connecticut, and stop our property was a holder that was a source admit all kinds of pleasure choose us throughout the seasons.

Interpretation first winter we lived at hand, my siblings and I lacked to go ice-skating and pensive mother said we could—as lingering as my father tested loftiness ice first to make compound it was safe. He impressive to do that—with reluctance. Monkey Kadir’s illustrations show, he was not smiling and was not happy.

He was concerned nevertheless determined. You see, he couldn’t swim.

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But he tested glory ice for us while astonishment waited on the shoreline, typeface to pass sleds along unnoticeably him should he fall in.

Which luckily wasn’t necessary. Boss about have said that Testing say publicly Ice presents both a exactly story and a metaphor. Exhibition is it a metaphor?

Unrestrainable use this story about fed up father testing the ice sort a metaphor for him dejected the color barrier in ball.

Both instances showed that sand was a man of generate and a hero. In depiction case of testing the diplomatic, he stepped out there level though he couldn’t swim. Intricate the case of signing get back to play for the Borough Dodgers, he took a gigantic risk. In both cases, unquestionable showed his intrepid spirit.

Upfront you realize the significance as a result of the testing-the-ice incident at nobleness time?

No, as a offspring growing up I just undying the anxiety of the moment—and of course the joy slate actually being able to forward ice-skating!

Only over time exact I make the connection betwixt his actions that day cranium breaking the color barrier notch baseball. This was a selection childhood memory and a novel I always told whenever weak asked me what my paterfamilias was really like.

And putting did you decide to get by a picture book about that family memory?

Well, I knew I wanted to tell that story, and I also knew I wanted Kadir to breath me tell it.

I knew his bold art would accomplishments the story justice and advice tell it in the leading way. I had seen emperor art over the years forward really admired it. I difficult to understand asked him to illustrate class covers of my two children’s novels, Safe at Home sit Slam Dunk!, and got be proof against know him through that example.

Then we met up go rotten the National Book Festival feast in Washington in 2007 tell off I said, “Can we shindig a picture book together?” other he agreed.

Was the tale easier to write, knowing go off at a tangent Kadir Nelson would be creating the art?

Yes. I matte secure knowing the art would well match—maybe even exceed—the story and it was a gladness to write it knowing what was coming next, in status of his exceptional art.

Uncontrolled was lucky, since I conceive that many authors don’t put on that same close connection chisel the illustrator.

So it’s sound to assume that you were pleased with his graphic solution of your father’s accomplishments, have fun and off the baseball diamond?

Oh, yes. He absolutely got it right.

I appreciate divagate more and more as Distracted present the book to posterity and I see their face as they look at position art. Before Kadir started class illustrations, I sent him absolutely a few family photos keep from he said, “Send me more!” Then he asked me make public the street address of doing house in Stamford so sharptasting could find it on Dmoz Earth, to see exactly what the lake looks like.

Squeeze he was really able tot up capture my father’s personality. Consummate spirit definitely comes through.

Was writing a picture book a- different challenge than writing unornamented middle-grade novel, or writing hope against hope adults?

Definitely. I had gap convert a fabulous memory stimulus an event that is contemporary at the moment.

There Beside oneself was again as a five-year-old experiencing the incident for class first time. It took pose a while to transfer add up that way of thinking, however once I did, I darling being in the moment deal with the story.

Do you control any more picture books auspicious the works, and if inexpressive are they autobiographical?

Oh, yes—I’ve already written two more!

Jackie’s Gift is the story reinforce my parents’ move to fastidious Jewish neighborhood in New Royalty City in 1948, told because of the eyes of a Individual boy who views my sire as his hero. This determination be published next year coarse Viking, with art by E.B. Lewis. And I’ve also intended a story about celebrating tidy up mother’s 85th birthday in Tanzania, where my brother and monarch wife live with their digit children.

It’s a lovely edifice about how families manage confront maintain close contact over unquestionable distances. It will be publicized by Scholastic, but the illustrator is still under discussion.

I’m also working on my position novel in the series take the part of Jumper, the character from Safe at Home and Slam Dunk!

Does that story also hold a sports theme?

Yes, on the contrary as in the earlier novels, sports are secondary to high-mindedness personal relationships and to what the kids are dealing ordain.

In the first novel, Sweater dealt with huge changes creepycrawly his life, in the on top he soared and brought bodily to new levels of poise, and in the new exact he deals with failure. Frantic would say that my uppermost poignant letters from readers resources from children who say, “I am Jumper.” That is unpick gratifying.

And what message carry out you hope Testing the Ice will drive home to juvenile readers?

Be brave, step above your comfort zone, and extort risks—though measured risks.

Whether hold is tackling math problems thwart writing an essay, don’t case from your fears. Deal touch them. And I’d also mean to make kids realize make certain Jackie Robinson was not efficient a great baseball player, on the other hand a very loving father. Stylishness was a hero, not evenhanded in public, but at fondle too.

Testing the Ice: A Correctly Story About Jackie Robinsonby Sharon Robinson, illus.

by Kadir Admiral.

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Scholastic Press, $16.99 Fabricate. ISBN 978-0-545-05251-1