Mama and her two cubs played games each morning before they went to school. Some days they would play hopscotch and other days they played jump-rope, marbles, and tag. Since it was such a lovely spring day, Mama said, “Why don't we play hide and seek this morning. I'll go and hide and the two of you have to find me.”

“Okay, Mama,” said Meg. “You can and hide and then Stan and I will come and find you.”

Mama ran off to hide. She saw the shed where she kept her gardening tools and ran behind it.

Stan and Meg counted to ten and then went to look for Mama. They looked under the swing and up in the tree. Meg ran around the house and Stan lifted the doormat. Mama was nowhere to be found.

“I see her, Meg,” Stan said. “She's hiding behind the gardening shed.”

“Let's sneak up on her and scare her,” Meg said.

She and Stan crept around behind the shed and jumped out at their mama. “Boo!” They both shouted at the same time.

Mama threw her arms in the air. “You two scared me, but you did find me, so now it is my turn to count while you hide.”

Meg and Stan ran around the garden looking for a place to hide. “I've got an idea,” said Meg. “Let's hide in the flower garden. She'll never find us there.” They ran and sat in the dirt, surrounded by bright pink, orange and yellow flowers. “Hee, hee, hee. Mama will never find us.”

Mama counted to ten and then went to look for the cubs. “I wonder where they are.” She saw them right away in the flowers, but decided to let them have fun thinking she didn't. “Did they hide under the empty swimming pool?” Mama lifted it up. “No, they're not under it. Did they hide in my gardening shed?” She ran and opened the door.

Meg and Stan giggled and watched Mama run all over the garden. “She will never find us,” Meg whispered to her brother.

Just then Mama jumped out from behind them. “Boo!”

Meg and Stan fell on their faces with fright. “You found us, Mama,” Stan said.

Mama hugged them both and then plucked three flowers. She stuck one in each of their fur. “It's time to go to school now. Come and have some lunch and then I'll walk you.”

Stan and Meg told all their friends at school how much fun they'd had playing hide and seek with their mama. They hoped they could play it again tomorrow.