Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

Wynken, Blynken, & Nod, illustrated by Johanna Westerman.

Three children sail off into a starry sea of dew in this classic poem from Eugene Field, accompanied by the gorgeous watercolor artwork of illustrator Johanna Westerman. Navigating in their wooden shoe—here a Dutch sabot—the children tell the inquisitive moon that they are in search of herring, and fish the stars with their nets of silver and gold, before descending to earth once more, to their comfortable beds...

A bedtime classic that I somehow missed as a child myself—I don't recall my parents ever reading this one to me—Wynken, Blynken, & Nod was originally published in 1889, and entitled Dutch Lullaby. It has been presented in countless picture book editions over the show more years, and has been adapted in song many times. I sought out this specific presentation because I admire the work of illustrator Johanna Westerman, whose paintings can also be found in such titles as Mother Holly (retold by John Warren Stewig) and Maggie Mab and the Bogey Beast (retold by Valerie Scho Carey). Apparently Westerman also illustrated another Eugene Field poem, in The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat. In any case, I am glad to have finally read this poem, which I found lovely—a real bedtime idyll for imaginative children—and (not unexpectedly) I greatly appreciated the artwork, which captured the moonlight beauty of the tale perfectly. Recommended to anyone looking for poetic bedtime book with a sense of magic, as well as to those seeking picture book editions of this famous poem. I shall have to see if I can track down other versions, to contrast and compare. show less

I enjoyed this poem for a number of reasons, mainly because the language and plot were well developed and appropriate. The story begins with three characters that set off on a night fishing trip where the author describes them speaking to the stars and the moon. Descriptive language is used to create an imaginative scene throughout the poem; something that is easy for children to understand. I really appreciate the sound and rhythm of the poem as it rhymes and flows with each page and each event that occurs. The poem reads,

“The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.”

As I read the poem, I clearly followed the plot and was able to see the show more settings and characters adjust accordingly. I really like the ending where the narrator expresses that the whole story was a dream and the characters are all a part of this little baby’s imagination. This concept of an imaginary story is something more abstract and fits well in a poem making it even more authentic. The big idea of this poem is that dreams can take you anywhere you let your imagination roam. Imagination is important to children and creativity can be sparked in anyone from anything. show less

This book as loved into oblivion at our house. I LOVED reading the dreamy, mesmerizing poem instead of some of the more grating children's books, and the pictures of the three children harvesting stars and fish and then coming back home to bed were wonderful. It was read almost every night for a year, and I'm planning to get a new copy now that my younger is almost two.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod is a book about a lullaby poem. It tells the story of three young fisherman boys who sail off into the night sky on a wooden shoe. They sail away to fish in the sky, which they call the sea. In the end it turns out that Wynken, Blynken and Nod are just a little boys facial features, and the wooden shoe is his bed.

To me, the mood and setting of this book make the perfect bedtime story. The pictures are magical and they can even promote sweet dreams!

You could use this if you worked at a daycare, for naptime or you could have the children draw pictures of what their "sky sea" would look like.

A timeless classic, I use this book in my class, there's always something to discover when reading the poem. The kids and I love the wooden shoe. Great classic poem that can be handed down for generations. Saturated with vivid colors of the fisherman and the ocean. This poems are nothing less than brilliant, a reflection of the author and illustrator's appreciation.

I've been looking for more books that take one poem and make it very accessible and tell the story page by page with illustrations. This book does that wonderfully and with a sweet poem. Love this as a way to expose children to poetry at an early age.

I love whole poems illustrated for babies. There aren't many; most are collected in anthologies. That's nice for when they're older, but for the toddler set who wants to turn a LOT of pages, this format is perfect. And it's a beautiful poem, so something you won't get tired of reading quickly.