Home For Grown-ups

Goodnight, Farm

Coming soon

Goodnight, Emilia · Story 1

About “Goodnight, Farm”

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...

Six baby animal names are tucked into this lantern walk: calf, foal, lamb, piglet, duckling and kitten. As the sky darkens from sunset to moonrise, the narrator whispers goodnight to each mother and her baby, and every stop adds one small true detail, like a horse dozing on her feet while her foal lies flat in the straw, or piglets piling up to keep warm. A wide-eyed shape on a far fence post keeps one question going until the rooster turns out to be the one still awake, waiting for the sun. Emilia answers with a finger on her lips, and he tucks in his head.

This story is coming to YouTube soon. You can read it below and print its coloring page now.

What Emilia learns

  • calf
  • foal
  • lamb
  • piglet
  • duckling
  • kitten

Tips for grown-ups

  • Borrow the lantern walk. Before lights out, go room to room hand in hand, or with a small flashlight, and whisper goodnight to a pet, a plant or a toy in each one.
  • Watch how the sky gets a little darker on every page. The AAP suggests dimming the lights before bedtime, so lower your own lamps as the evening goes on.
  • If your child is the rooster tonight, wide awake and ready to play, answer the way Emilia does: a finger on your lips, a calm shh, and a reminder that crowing is for the morning.
  • Zero to Three describes a bedtime that runs pajamas, teeth, a story and a lullaby, then lights out. At the lullaby step, sing or hum the farm song's first line: "Goodnight, farm, now the day is all done."
  • Line up the stuffed animals on the bed and give each one its baby name from the story, a calf for the cow, a kitten for the cat, then tuck them in one at a time.

Talk about it

After watching, ask:

  • Which baby was cuddled next to the cow?
  • How did the horse sleep?
  • How many piglets piled up?
  • Where were the ducklings hiding?
  • Who wanted to stay up and crow?
  • How did Emilia say shh?

Try this together

Take a slow goodnight walk through your home with the big lights off, whispering goodnight to one thing in each room. End at your child's bed with the quietest song you know.

Free coloring page

Coloring page: Emilia in her pajamas holding her little lantern and Pip, saying goodnight to a mother cow and her calf lying in the grass in front of the big barn, under the moon

Goodnight, Farm: Emilia and the Sleepy Cow: print it (US Letter or A4) or color it on screen.

Read the story

Goodnight, Farm. The sun slips away,
so Emilia and Pip have goodnights to say.
But someone won't sleep a wink tonight...
Who could it be? Let's look, by lantern light.

In the barn, a mother cow rested in the hay,
and her baby, a calf, cuddled close where she lay.
Her legs were all folded, the way that cows do.
Goodnight, cow. Goodnight, calf. Sleep well, you two.

Next door, in the stable, a horse dozed, standing tall.
Yes, horses can sleep on their feet in a stall!
But her baby, a foal, lay stretched out on the ground.
Goodnight, horse. Goodnight, foal. Safe and sound.

Out in the meadow, the fluffy white sheep
huddled up close, all together, to sleep.
In the middle, a baby, a lamb, warm and snug.
Goodnight, sheep. Goodnight, lamb. A woolly hug.

In the pigpen, a mother pig gave a soft snore,
and her piglets piled up: one, two, three, four.
Baby pigs pile together to stay warm all night.
Goodnight, pig. Goodnight, piglets. Sleep tight.

Down by the pond, a mother duck settled to rest,
with her ducklings beneath her soft wings, like a nest.
But look... someone's still awake. Who? Can you see?
Goodnight, duck. Goodnight, ducklings. Warm as can be.

Up in the hayloft, the barn cat purred, soft and deep,
and her three little kittens curled up in a heap.
Baby cats are called kittens. Hear a tiny meow?
Goodnight, cat. Goodnight, kittens. Hush now.

But up on the fence post, who was still wide awake?
The rooster! He fluffed up his feathers. Shake, shake!
He wanted to crow! He was waiting... for the sun.
But the sun was in bed, and the day was all done.

Emilia pointed up high at the moon, round and white,
then put one finger on her lips. Shh. Not tonight.
The rooster blinked slowly. He tucked in his head.
Goodnight, rooster. Crow in the morning instead.

Then back to the house, with the lantern aglow,
and she climbed into bed with Pip, sleepy and slow.

Up on her ceiling, her first glow star began to gleam.
Next time: Goodnight, Ocean, sailing off in a dream.

Shh... the farm is asleep. Let's sing a lullaby.

The lullaby: “Goodnight, Farm”

The story ends with its own lullaby, sung softly while everyone falls asleep. Sing it at bedtime, slowly.

Goodnight, farm, now the day is all done,
we whispered goodnight to each little one.
The calf's by her mama, the foal's fast asleep,
the lamb's snuggled up with the big woolly sheep.
The piglets and ducklings are cozy and small,
the kittens are curled in a warm furry ball.
Goodnight, farm, and you, sleepy rooster, too,
you'll crow in the morning when the sky turns blue.

Goodnight, farm... goodnight, farm...

Questions parents ask

Where does a video like this fit in a bedtime routine?

The AAP suggests turning off screens at least an hour before bedtime and keeping them out of children's bedrooms. So watch this one together after dinner or the bath, then move on to books, a song and lights out.

Do horses really sleep standing up?

Horses can doze on their feet, and they lie down for deeper sleep. Foals spend a lot of time stretched out flat, like the one in the stable.

Why is the rooster still awake?

Roosters crow when the sun comes up, so in the story he is waiting for morning. It gives children a gentle way to hear that night is for sleeping and morning is for crowing.

Sources

Our tips follow these pages. They are general information, not medical advice: ask your child's doctor or dentist about your child.