Around the world · for 3–4 years · 4 min read

Good night, Ama. Good morning, Kwame!

At bedtime, Ama says good night to her cousin Kwame, who is just eating his breakfast far away. With a torch and an orange, Papa shows her why.

Ama in lavender moon pyjamas sits on her bed hugging a green toy turtle, next to a round window with a starry night sky.

It is bedtime. Ama is in her moon pyjamas. Turtle is ready for bed too. Outside her round window, the sky is dark and full of stars.

Ama waves at a tablet held by Papa. On the screen, her cousin Kwame laughs at breakfast in a sunny kitchen.

Papa holds up the tablet. There is Kwame, her cousin, far away! “Good night, Kwame!” says Ama. Kwame laughs. “Good morning, Ama! I’m eating my breakfast.” Sunshine fills his kitchen.

Ama looks puzzled, with her dark starry window on one side and the tablet showing Kwame’s sunny kitchen window on the other.

Ama blinks. “Good morning? But it’s night!” She looks at her dark window. Then she looks at Kwame’s sunny window. “How can it be night here and morning there?”

In the dim room, Ama sticks a gold star on an orange while Papa holds a small yellow torch. Kwame watches from the tablet.

Papa smiles. “Let’s find out.” He switches off the big light. He brings a little torch and an orange. “The torch is the Sun,” says Papa. “The orange is our Earth.” Ama sticks on a star for her home. Papa sticks a star on the other side for Kwame’s home.

Papa shines a yellow torch at the orange Ama holds. One side of the orange glows, with a gold star in the light.

Click! Papa shines the torch at the orange. Ama’s star faces the light. “That’s daytime at our house,” says Papa. Kwame’s star is on the dark side. “And night at Kwame’s house!” says Ama.

Ama slowly turns the orange in the torchlight. Her star moves into the shadow and Kwame’s star moves into the light.

“The Earth keeps turning, like a spinning top,” says Papa. Ama turns the orange slowly, slowly. Her star slides into the dark. Kwame’s star slides into the light. “Now it’s night for me and morning for Kwame!” Ama whispers.

Ama sits with Papa on her bed and points at the tablet, where Kwame eats breakfast in bright sunshine.

“Does the Sun go to sleep at night?” asks Ama. “No,” says Papa gently. “The Sun keeps shining. Our Earth turns us away from it. It takes about one day to turn all the way round.” Ama smiles. “So the Sun is shining on Kwame now,” she says.

Ama lies snuggled under her blue blanket with her toy turtle, waving sleepily, while Papa stands by the door. The starry window glows.

Ama snuggles under her blue blanket with Turtle. She waves. “Good night, Kwame! Enjoy your breakfast.” Papa puts the tablet away. Ama whispers, “Good morning, Sun. Shine bright for Kwame.” The Earth keeps turning. Soon it will be Ama’s turn for morning.

the end

let’s play: day and night with an orange

  1. In a dim room, shine a torch at an orange or a ball. Point it at the orange, never at anyone’s eyes.
  2. Put a sticker on the orange for your home.
  3. Hold the orange top and bottom, and turn it slowly.
  4. Say “day” when the sticker is in the light and “night” when it is in the dark.
  5. Put a second sticker on the other side. When one sticker has night, what does the other one have?

talk about it

  • Why was Kwame eating breakfast when Ama was going to bed?
  • What did Papa use for the Sun, and what did he use for the Earth?
  • Does the Sun go to sleep at night?
  • What would you say to someone far away who is just waking up?

for grown-ups

What this story helps with: The Earth keeps turning. The side facing the Sun has day and the side turned away has night, so when it is night where we live, it is daytime far away on the other side of the world.

This story shows that day and night happen because the Earth keeps turning: the side facing the Sun has day, and the side turned away has night. So while we sleep, it is daytime for people on the other side of the world. The Sun doesn’t go to sleep; it only looks that way because we turn away from it. At bedtime, you could wonder together what someone far away might be doing right now. Then try the torch-and-orange game in a dim room, keeping the torch pointed at the orange and not at anyone’s eyes.

sources we checked

Written and illustrated by the wishyou.today team. Every story is checked for age, kindness, safety and facts before it is published. Spotted something? Tell us on Instagram.

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