About Goodnight, Emilia
10 stories: the farm, the ocean, the zoo, counting sheep, the moon, the forest, the garden, the rain, the stars and the snow.
Ten calm bedtime stories in rhyme, read in a soft, whispered voice. Emilia, in her pajamas, says goodnight to the farm animals, the sea, the zoo, the moon and the stars, and each story slips in a few true things along the way: how animals sleep, why the moon changes shape, where rain comes from. There are no quizzes and no loud songs. Every story ends with its own lullaby as everyone falls asleep, and a new glow star lights up on her ceiling.
The stories, in order
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Goodnight, Farm (5 min)
The sun is going down. Emilia and Pip carry a little lantern around the farm, whispering goodnight to every animal and its baby: calf, foal, lamb, piglets, ducklings and kittens. But one animal won't sleep a wink... -
Goodnight, Ocean (5 min)
Emilia's bed becomes a little boat on a calm, moonlit sea, and she and Pip say goodnight to the fish, a crab, an octopus, a sea turtle, two dolphins and a mother whale and her calf, learning how each one sleeps. But one baby sea otter keeps drifting away... what will help him stay? -
Goodnight, Zoo (5 min)
It's closing time at the zoo, and Emilia and Pip tiptoe from the zebras to the lions, learning how each animal sleeps: standing up, on one leg, even under water! But the giraffe can't get comfy... where does a long, long neck go at bedtime? -
Emilia Counts Sleepy Sheep (5 min)
Emilia is still wiggly at bedtime, so she counts the sleepy sheep hopping over a little gate on the moonlit hill, one to ten, from a big fluffy sheep to the littlest lamb, who can't quite get over... Then she counts them back down, ten to one, as the whole flock falls asleep, and so does Emilia. -
The Moon Who Couldn't Sleep (5 min)
At bedtime, Emilia looks out her window, and the moon is wide awake: he can't sleep a wink! Can you guess why? On the way to the answer, she learns that the moon changes shape (full moon, half moon, crescent), that moonlight is really sunlight, and that when it's night here, it's daytime on the other side of the world. -
Goodnight, Forest (5 min)
Emilia and Pip camp out in a little tent in her backyard, by the woods, and whisper goodnight to the forest animals settling down: a bunny in her burrow, a deer and her fawn, a squirrel wrapped in her fluffy tail and baby birds in their nest. But one forest friend is just waking up at bedtime... A gentle bedtime story about nocturnal animals, like the owl and the hedgehog, who sleep all day and wake up at night. -
Goodnight, Garden (5 min)
As the sun goes down, Emilia and Pip tiptoe through the garden to say goodnight: the bees fly home to their hive, the daisies and poppies close up, a ladybug tucks in under a leaf, and a snail and a cricket come out. But one tiny light keeps blinking by the gate... who is it? A calm bedtime story about what happens in a garden at night, with a lullaby. -
Goodnight, Rain (5 min)
Pitter-patter! It's raining at bedtime, so Emilia pulls on her boots and follows the raindrops with Pip to find out where all this rain comes from, saying goodnight to a puddle, thirsty flowers, a little frog and a wiggly worm. A cozy first lesson in how clouds make rain, how plants drink with their roots, and how the sun sends the water back up to the sky. -
Goodnight, Stars (5 min)
From her bedroom window, Emilia and Pip say goodnight to the night sky: why stars twinkle, why the sun (a star too!) looks so big, red Mars, Saturn and its rings, star pictures called constellations, and a wish on a shooting star. And somewhere up there, a picture is hiding in the stars... can you find it? -
Goodnight, Snow (6 min)
Snow is falling, and someone out there has been asleep for weeks and weeks! Emilia and Pip count the six points on a snowflake, then bundle up and tiptoe into the quiet yard to say goodnight to the snowman, two fluffed-up red birds, a bear and her cub hibernating in their den, and a sleepy bunny at the end of her tracks. Then the tenth glow star lights up her ceiling, and all ten make a picture...