A boy named Michael tries to guard the secret behind his father's birthday and presents as he prepares for the occasion with his sister and mother.
Writing for the School Library Journal in March 1993, Nancy Seiner criticized the "careless drawing" along with the sibling characters' inconsistent ages and designs.
"[3] Conversely, Kirkus Reviews and Deborah Abbott of Booklist were both favorable, citing Kramer's watercolor illustrations as "cheery".
[2][4] "In a simple, realistic text," wrote Kirkus, "Roberts does a fine job of building both the anticipation and the concept of keeping a secret, ably abetted by Kramer's [contributions]".
[4] Abbott noted the "pleasant twist" and "appealing cover", adding that the book's message about keeping secrets "will not be lost on the read-aloud crowd.