Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

by Eugene Field, Johanna Westerman (Illustrator)

Overview

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
and Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
is a wee one's trundle-bed.

Eugene Field's classic bedtime poem—about three children’s adventures sailing in a wooden shoe—is brought to life with Johanna Westerman's vivid illustrations.

“Westerman’s minutely detailed watercolors depict a Dutch landscape. The luminosity of the moonlit sea is captured in muted shades of blue that create a soothing mood for the dramatic verse.”—School Library Journal

“Westerman captures the tone of the poem in a fittingly traditional way. . . . a pleasing rendition of an old favorite.” —Booklist

“Westerman’s inventive design elements provide a soothing accompaniment for the familiar text, a staple for bedtime reading.”—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558589988
Publisher:	NorthSouth Books
Publication date:	08/01/1998
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.47(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD950L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Eugene Field (1850 – 1895) was an American writer best known for his children’s poetry and humorous essays.

Johanna Westerman is a graduate of Scripps College, where she majored in studio art. She has illustrated numerous books for children. She lives in Altadena, California.

Editorial Reviews

PW praised Westerman's "thoroughly dreamlike" characters and setting in her "soothing" interpretation of a classic bedtime verse. Ages 5-8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2- Potter's fanciful, artistic interpretation is ideal for this 19th-century poem about the wistful place between sleep and dreams. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod are portrayed as three young boys in matching green pajamas, wooden shoes, and red hats. They embark in their vessel, a large wooden shoe, and sail "...on a river of crystal light,/Into a sea of dew." Sea and sky flow into one another and soon the lads are speeding through the air, where the "little stars" are "herring fish" and the young fishermen cast their nets. The wooden shoe brings them home, where readers learn that the episode is a lullaby sung by a mother to her son who is tucked in bed, snug in his green pajamas with his toy fish. Done in Potter's characteristic style, each spread is a dreamy still life; the mixed-media paintings are drenched in the calming blues of the sea and sky, and the muted hues lend a soporific tone. There is an otherworldly quality to the artwork, and a note describes why the illustrator was attracted to this poem. Share this vividly imagined book with youngsters who need a little help gaining entry to the world of dreams.-Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI

School Library Journal

Field's 19th-century poem, originally entitled "Dutch Lullaby," serves as the vehicle for this visual exegesis of the celestial text. One night, fishermen Wynken, Blynken and Nod sail off in a wooden shoe on "a river of crystal light, into a sea of dew" to catch herring in their nets of silver and gold. But the herring are actually little stars, and Wynken, Blynken and Nod spend the night catching them before returning with their nets full. Field's text poses the possibility that this unworldly venture might not be a bedtime dream, and Potter reinforces the dream theme by portraying Wynken, Blynken and Nod as three wide-eyed little men in matching green suits, red caps and wooden shoes. Sailing their shoe vessel into a nocturnal landscape of giant tulips, the three fishermen converse with the man-in-the-moon, cast their nets into a midnight-blue, herring-spangled sky and glide home to their windmill. The hand-lettered text and mixed-media illustrations rendered in nighttime blues and greens lend an imaginative, dream-like quality to the ethereal text. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review, School Library Journal, July 2008:
"Share this vividly imagined book with youngsters who need a little help gaining entry to the world of dreams."

From the Publisher