KEEPING A CHRISTMAS SECRET
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor illustrated by Lena Shiffman
The family present for Dad is a wonderful big sled, and Michael, four, has promised not to tell. But—in the course of jovial teasing at the dinner table—he lets it slip, to the vociferous disgust of his older brother and sister. Distressed but undaunted, Michael succeeds in keeping a new secret of his own until the right moment: he wraps an old jumprope to serve as rope for the sled, producing it after the first glorious downhill trip. Naylor's excellent ear for dialogue makes this just right as a read-aloud or a young reader; Shiffman's realistic, full-color illustrations, enlivened by white outlining, give the characters real individuality.