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Goodnight, Snow

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Goodnight, Emilia · Story 10

About “Goodnight, Snow”

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...

The season ends on a snowy night, when fresh snow hushes the whole yard. Emilia counts the six points on a snowflake at her window, then bundles up over her pajamas for a short walk, the lit back door always in view. The narrator whispers goodnight to the snowman she built that day and two red birds puffed up round, then a soft snore leads to a den under the hill, where a bear and her tiny cub are hibernating. Bunny tracks lead to a yawning bunny on the way home. Back in bed, the tenth glow star lights up, and all ten make a bunny like Pip.

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

What Emilia learns

  • snowflake
  • feathers
  • den
  • hibernate
  • cub
  • tracks

Tips for grown-ups

  • This last story finishes Emilia's glow-star picture. If you have watched the season, count her ten ceiling stars slowly together, then let the counting turn into your own goodnight.
  • Keep the story's joke handy: bears hibernate all winter, but Emilia needs just one night. When your child wants to stay up, a smiling reminder that it's only one night, and morning comes next, can soften the moment.
  • The AAP notes that all children thrive on a regular bedtime routine. A snow day, a holiday or a visit can shake up the daytime; try to keep bath, books and lights out in the same order anyway.
  • Shh along with Emilia at the den: finger on your lips and your quietest whisper. Many children love whispering, so keep it going through pajamas and teeth.
  • The closing lullaby sings the whole walk back: the six points, the puffy birds, the bear and her cub, the bunny's tracks. Hum its last line, "the whole world is tucked in," as you leave the room.

Talk about it

After watching, ask:

  • How many points does a snowflake have?
  • Who waved goodnight with a stick arm?
  • How do birds stay warm in the cold?
  • Who was asleep in the den?
  • What does hibernate mean?
  • What picture did the ten glow stars make?

Try this together

Draw a snowflake together: a dot in the middle with six lines coming out of it. Count the six points slowly, add a little bear asleep in a den in one corner, and whisper goodnight to both before lights out.

Free coloring page

Coloring page: Emilia in her winter coat, knit hat and boots over her pajamas, hugging Pip beside the friendly snowman, with a big six-point snowflake, the moon and a little bunny in the snow

Goodnight, Snow: Emilia and the Snowman: print it (US Letter or A4) or color it on screen.

Read the story

Goodnight, Snow. Outside, the whole world is white,
and Emilia and Pip watch the snow fall tonight.
Shh... someone out there has slept for weeks and weeks!
Who could it be? Let's go see, with snow on our cheeks.

A snowflake landed on her window, lacy and small.
Every snowflake has six points. Let's count them all:
One, two, three, four, five, six! Like a tiny star, see?
Goodnight, snowflake. Goodnight, snowy tree.

She put on her coat and her boots, warm and snug,
her hat and her mittens, and gave Pip a hug.
She tiptoed out the door... and the night was so still.
New snow is so fluffy, it hushes the yard and the hill.

In the yard stood the snowman she'd built that day,
and he lifted a stick arm and waved, as if to say...
"Goodnight!" Emilia waved back, nice and slow.
Goodnight, snowman. Goodnight, buttons in a row.

Two red birds in the pine tree looked round as a ball.
In the cold, birds fluff their feathers, big and small.
Puffy feathers keep them warm, like a coat, all night.
Goodnight, birds. Goodnight, feathers. Sleep tight.

By the hill, she heard a soft, sleepy sound:
Snore... snore... It came from under the ground!
In the hill, a den: a snug winter bed. Who's in there?
Asleep for weeks and weeks... a big, brown, furry bear!

Bears hibernate: they sleep all winter, till spring.
In the den, a baby bear, a cub! Such a tiny thing.
Emilia put a finger to her lips. Shh... not a peep.
Goodnight, bear. Goodnight, cub. Sleep long and deep.

On the way home, she spotted footprints, tiny and neat.
Footprints in snow are called tracks. Whose little feet?
Two long feet, two small feet: bunny tracks! Hop, hop...
to a snowy bush... and that's where the tracks stop.

Under the bush sat a bunny. She gave a big yawn.
Goodnight, bunny. Goodnight, tracks. Sleep till dawn.

Back home: boots off, into bed... and Pip came too.
Bears hibernate all winter. Emilia? One night will do.

Up on her ceiling, a new glow star shone bright.
Star number ten! Ten stars, all lit up tonight.
Look at the picture that all ten stars show:
a bunny, like Pip! Goodnight, stars. Goodnight, snow.

Goodnight, Emilia. Goodnight, Pip. Let's sing a lullaby.

The lullaby: “Goodnight, Snow”

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

Goodnight, snow, so soft and so white,
six little points on each snowflake tonight.
The birds in their feathers are puffy and round,
the bear and her cub sleep till spring, safe and sound.
The bunny is sleeping, her tracks in a row,
and you, tucked in warm from your head to your toe.
Goodnight, snow, all quiet and deep,
the whole world is tucked in, and fast asleep.

Goodnight, snow... goodnight, snow...

Questions parents ask

Do all snowflakes have six points?

Snowflakes are built on a six-sided pattern because frozen water forms a six-sided crystal, as NOAA explains. Some flakes break or clump together, but a whole star-shaped flake has six points.

Do bears really sleep all winter?

Most bears hibernate or den through the winter. The National Park Service notes that mother bears give birth in the den and the family stays there for the rest of the winter, so a tiny cub beside a sleeping bear is right for a snowy night.

Is Emilia outside alone at night?

Only for a few minutes, in her own yard. A grown-up's hands zip her coat at the door, and the lit doorway stays in a corner of every yard picture until she is back inside.

Sources

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