Lil’ Marco loves to play and could play from sunup to sundown except every evening, without fail, his Daddy says, “It’s bedtime, Lil’ Marco!” Oh, those dreaded words! Just hearing them causes Lil’ Marco to find even more toys to play with – a ball, a truck, a teddy bear. Except playing does not stop his eyes from getting heavy. They get heavier while playing during and after his bath. Finally, tucked in bed with his eyes nearly closed, Lil’ Marco decides playing can wait til’ the next day. It’s bedtime.
When the students of Mrs. Hughes’ class walk in one day and discover their favorite teacher is gone, they cry “Oh me! Oh my! Oh boy!” in disappointed voices. Days go by and no Mrs. Hughes. Weeks go by and still no Mrs. Hughes. When months pass with a substitute teacher who is as mean as mean can be, the students decide Mrs. Hughes is definitely missing and it is up to them to find her. First stop, Principal Wilkerson, who is absolutely no help. Second stop, Mrs. Hughes’ house. The students think they may have found her when they spy her car in the driveway and hear music playing inside. Yet even with repeated knocks, no one answers the door. The next day in class, the students’ imaginations soar as they try to figure out just what has happened to Mrs. Hughes! As the guesses become more and more unlikely, who shows up? Mrs. Hughes! And she is not alone. Mrs. Hughes is now a mother and has brought baby Cole to meet her students. Mrs. Hughes has been found! But guess who’s missing now? The mean substitute teacher.
