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Through the magic window
Wynken, Blynken and Nod
WYNKEN, BLYNKEN, AND NOD takes children on a magical journey into the night sky where three fishermen sail in a wooden shoe, capturing the stars in nets of silver and gold and laughing with the moon. And when the nighttime adventure comes to an end, the wooden shoe brings the fishermen home to the real world of a child fast asleep.With soft illustrations and rhythmic rhyme, this lullaby poem will help energetic toddlers settle down and have sweet dreams as they snuggle into their beds.
30 pages, Hardcover
First published March 9, 1889
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596 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
March 6, 2022
Many a night my mother would read this poem to me as I fell asleep...funny how you remember all the little things your mother did just because she loved you. This is another book I put on my 'mommy shelf' - books that I will never forget my mother reading to me.
December 3, 2008
I'm a sucker for this rhyme ever since I remember that Mrs. Wilson had memorized it in the Dennis the Menace movie and it was kind of her way of showing how sad she was over never having children (if I remember right). I was impressed because memorization has never been my strong suit and it showed deep yearning in her soul. Ok, I'm done being melodramatic.
I love the art in this book and the story goes beyond the short version of the rhyme that we all know. In the end it even explains what Wynken, Blynken and Nod are, which I'd never heard before. Something about reading it makes it seem as if you are sailing, or at least rocking back and forth which makes it an exceptional bedtime story. This one got a "read this book again?", which always means it's a winner to me.
I love the art in this book and the story goes beyond the short version of the rhyme that we all know. In the end it even explains what Wynken, Blynken and Nod are, which I'd never heard before. Something about reading it makes it seem as if you are sailing, or at least rocking back and forth which makes it an exceptional bedtime story. This one got a "read this book again?", which always means it's a winner to me.
March 23, 2019
Lovely imaginative book, with beautiful illustrations.
February 23, 2019
So parents do read bedtime stories to children outside quaint movies from the '50s. It's a nice thought.
Another classic poem beautifully illustrated.
Feb 16, 19
* Maybe later on my blog.
Another classic poem beautifully illustrated.
Feb 16, 19
* Maybe later on my blog.
February 23, 2021
Reminiscent of elementary school.
September 23, 2008
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod is a lullaby/poem. The watercolor pictures in this book are very beautiful and rich. This lullaby leads you to believe that Wynken, Blynken, and Nod are three little boys. These three little boys sail across the starry sky in a wooden shoe, and catch fish (the stars are fish) with their nets of silver and gold. The end of the book reveals the real identities of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
Activities:
1)Discuss lullybies with the class. Read the book to the students, and discuss what happened in the book. Then have the students write their own lullybies (or they could work in groups of two or three). Then give each group some small poster board paper, and have them rewrite their lullaby in marker somewhere on the posters (just a line or two per page). Then with pencil, the students draw scenes to their lullabies, and finally paint the pictures with water colors. This would probably be a multiple day activity, and on the last day, the students can share their lullabies with the rest of the class.
2)Tell the class that this lullaby was written in 1889 (119 years ago). Tell them more facts about the book, and then give them choices of other lullabies they could read. Have them read the lullaby, and research when it was written, and about the author (where and when he was born, other books he wrote, etc.). Then they will write a mini-report about their chosen lullaby, and make a picture or craft showing their favorite scene. Then they can share with the class.
Activities:
1)Discuss lullybies with the class. Read the book to the students, and discuss what happened in the book. Then have the students write their own lullybies (or they could work in groups of two or three). Then give each group some small poster board paper, and have them rewrite their lullaby in marker somewhere on the posters (just a line or two per page). Then with pencil, the students draw scenes to their lullabies, and finally paint the pictures with water colors. This would probably be a multiple day activity, and on the last day, the students can share their lullabies with the rest of the class.
2)Tell the class that this lullaby was written in 1889 (119 years ago). Tell them more facts about the book, and then give them choices of other lullabies they could read. Have them read the lullaby, and research when it was written, and about the author (where and when he was born, other books he wrote, etc.). Then they will write a mini-report about their chosen lullaby, and make a picture or craft showing their favorite scene. Then they can share with the class.
November 17, 2012
Beautiful starlit illustrations accompany the classic bedtime poem by the American poet and literary critic, Eugene Field (1850-1895). In Westerman’s version three children sail off on a wooden shoe over a small town and up to the old moon. They cast their nets of silver and gold to catch the herring fish that live in the sky. Then the children sail back to their bedroom and tumble into bed.
“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.”
The rhyming text of this poem quietly rocks along using imaginative language to evoke a magical nighttime adventure. Although the poem was written in 1889 the vocabulary does not feel dated. This poem can be found in many children’s poetry anthologies and has been published as a standalone illustrated picture book several times. Westerman’s watercolor illustrations further the magical elements of the poem. The fair-haired, fair-skinned children sail the enormous wooden shoe through the crashing waves of the sky as though it were an ocean. The details in the illustrations are clever, such as the herring fish that dance out of the wall paper. The illustrations are framed with a blue border dotted with stars.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
“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.”
The rhyming text of this poem quietly rocks along using imaginative language to evoke a magical nighttime adventure. Although the poem was written in 1889 the vocabulary does not feel dated. This poem can be found in many children’s poetry anthologies and has been published as a standalone illustrated picture book several times. Westerman’s watercolor illustrations further the magical elements of the poem. The fair-haired, fair-skinned children sail the enormous wooden shoe through the crashing waves of the sky as though it were an ocean. The details in the illustrations are clever, such as the herring fish that dance out of the wall paper. The illustrations are framed with a blue border dotted with stars.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
January 1, 2009
Do you remember the classic poem by Eugene W. Field that begins:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe---
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea..."
Well, to put it simply, Giselle Potter's new picture book version of this poem is absolutely stunning. The rhythmic verse of the poem that always stays in my head long after I read it is accompanied by Potter's dreamy and enchanting illustrations in rich, deep tones of blue and green.
Potter has masterfully captured the magical and ethereal feel of the poem, and children will love hearing this read to them over and over again. Perfect for a bedtime read-aloud, I highly recommend this book.
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe---
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea..."
Well, to put it simply, Giselle Potter's new picture book version of this poem is absolutely stunning. The rhythmic verse of the poem that always stays in my head long after I read it is accompanied by Potter's dreamy and enchanting illustrations in rich, deep tones of blue and green.
Potter has masterfully captured the magical and ethereal feel of the poem, and children will love hearing this read to them over and over again. Perfect for a bedtime read-aloud, I highly recommend this book.
May 16, 2007
This is a review for the early 1980s publication of Eugene Field's famous poem -- it's the one with illustrations by Susan Jeffers. Her artwork rocks. I don't understand why this version is out of print, but it is. Jeffers' artwork is a lovely blend of the reality of a game of imagination. Her children are convincingly kid-like and her artwork captures the essence of the poem.
January 6, 2008
This book led me into dreamland so many times that i used to be able to recite the entire book. It's gorgeous and magical.
August 14, 2022
EL Skills - Print motivation, print awareness, vocabulary, phonological awareness & narrative skills. Beautiful illustrations and tremendous adventures before returning home to crawl into bed.
October 18, 2015
The illustrations in this book complement the poem nicely! This is one of my daughter's favorite books!
December 18, 2016
My two-year-old son especially likes the pictures of the moon in this edition: on each page its face has a different expression.
March 31, 2024
I’ve read this maybe 20 times this month alone. Classic poem that is beloved by my kids.
Read
July 21, 2024Eugene Field really time-travelled to the future, saw all the kids' books with their fuck-all bullshit bad meter and tragic rhymes, and said FUCK THAT SHIT and went back to write Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, a stone-cold classic with gorgeous meter and rhyme and also a jolly tale for kids.
That's my head cannon, anyways.
That's my head cannon, anyways.
March 5, 2018
Read this to some older kiddos and they seemed to like it.
January 13, 2026
I love this illustrated edition of the classic children’s poem. The pictures are gorgeous, and they stirred my imagination even as an adult!
March 29, 2014
Title: Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Author: Eugene W. Field; illustrated by Giselle Potter
Date of Publication: 2008
Genre: Poetry Rhyme/Lullaby/Fantasy/Picture book
Annotations: This book contains a beautiful lullaby sung by a mother to her child. Let us take a journey with Wynken, Blynken, and Nod through the night sky.
A challenging little book this is—for it isn’t until the end that you realize the true meaning and journey of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. There’s one part in the book where the way the words are spaced out on the pages are hard to follow (“The little stars were the herring fish that lived in that beautiful sea”). Other than that, this would be a great book to introduce children to poetry. The imagery is beautiful and the pictures help to define the meaning. The pictures were phenomenal.
Discussion and Comprehension Questions for children:
What do you think Wynken, Blynken, and Nod represent?
What do you think the wooden shoe represents?
Do you know what dew means? What do you think it means?
Did you notice any words that rhymed?
Is there anything in this story you can relate to? (i.e. child sleeping, mother putting her child to bed, dreaming).
Who was telling the story in the book?
What feeling or mood did you feel while reading Wynken, Blynken, and Nod? Why do you think the author wrote this poem?
Author: Eugene W. Field; illustrated by Giselle Potter
Date of Publication: 2008
Genre: Poetry Rhyme/Lullaby/Fantasy/Picture book
Annotations: This book contains a beautiful lullaby sung by a mother to her child. Let us take a journey with Wynken, Blynken, and Nod through the night sky.
A challenging little book this is—for it isn’t until the end that you realize the true meaning and journey of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. There’s one part in the book where the way the words are spaced out on the pages are hard to follow (“The little stars were the herring fish that lived in that beautiful sea”). Other than that, this would be a great book to introduce children to poetry. The imagery is beautiful and the pictures help to define the meaning. The pictures were phenomenal.
Discussion and Comprehension Questions for children:
What do you think Wynken, Blynken, and Nod represent?
What do you think the wooden shoe represents?
Do you know what dew means? What do you think it means?
Did you notice any words that rhymed?
Is there anything in this story you can relate to? (i.e. child sleeping, mother putting her child to bed, dreaming).
Who was telling the story in the book?
What feeling or mood did you feel while reading Wynken, Blynken, and Nod? Why do you think the author wrote this poem?
December 29, 2010
This classic poem tells the story of three children dreaming of sailing through the sky in a boat made of a wooden shoe.
This version of the well known poem provides beautiful pictures to accompany each verse of the poem. The pictures add in a cat as an additional character, which gives the reader something to ponder while they look at the pictures.
Children of all ages will enjoy reading this book. Young children can have the book read to them, and they will enjoy the flow of the words and the beautiful pictures. Older children will enjoy being able to read on their own, and still enjoy the pictures and beauty of the words.
This version of the well known poem provides beautiful pictures to accompany each verse of the poem. The pictures add in a cat as an additional character, which gives the reader something to ponder while they look at the pictures.
Children of all ages will enjoy reading this book. Young children can have the book read to them, and they will enjoy the flow of the words and the beautiful pictures. Older children will enjoy being able to read on their own, and still enjoy the pictures and beauty of the words.
August 7, 2013
When I was a zookeeper several years ago, I worked with three Brazilian golden-rumped agoutis* named Winky, Blinky, and Nod. Someone mentioned that the names had come from a story; I never followed up on it, but today I ran across this book and was delighted to have that little piece of my past pop up. The illustrations in this book are lovely, giving just the right sense of eerie nighttime magic. I greatly enjoyed this short picture book.
*An agouti is a type of rodent found in Central and South America, somewhat resembling a cross between a guinea pig and a small deer, with longer legs and delicate hands.
*An agouti is a type of rodent found in Central and South America, somewhat resembling a cross between a guinea pig and a small deer, with longer legs and delicate hands.
September 18, 2016
Ole English Literacy ner' fades
Nor do the writers they inspire....
Imagine 1889 and the moonlight peeks through
The feather penned Field imagines
A lad and lassie
Somewhere oft in the wave of immigration
Paces the creaky ole floors of worry
Ahhh dears
Ner' Fear
Ole father Field is composing ...
In need of a wee babe's
Slumber
Hence Wynken, Blynken and nod
Wynken and rub those baby brown eyes no more
Blyken and thou tears begin to dry up
Nod thou self to sleep
As thy three set off on a moonlit night
Upon the ocean of wonder.....
A sweet lullabye fairytale to sing all wee kids to slumber...SAHNBCT2018
Nor do the writers they inspire....
Imagine 1889 and the moonlight peeks through
The feather penned Field imagines
A lad and lassie
Somewhere oft in the wave of immigration
Paces the creaky ole floors of worry
Ahhh dears
Ner' Fear
Ole father Field is composing ...
In need of a wee babe's
Slumber
Hence Wynken, Blynken and nod
Wynken and rub those baby brown eyes no more
Blyken and thou tears begin to dry up
Nod thou self to sleep
As thy three set off on a moonlit night
Upon the ocean of wonder.....
A sweet lullabye fairytale to sing all wee kids to slumber...SAHNBCT2018
January 6, 2016
Was a gift this Christmas and has become one of Ozma's favorite read alouds. She chimes in on the lines she has memorized with gusto, "Into a sea of dew!" "the fisherman three: Wynken, Blynken and Nod." or today she decided the Herring fish were really "Lerring" fish.
At her request I am making her a flannelboard version of Wynken, Blynken and Nod, but it will probably only have a couple pieces- the moon and the three flying in their shoe.
I like how the text was hand lettered and integrated into the illustrations.
At her request I am making her a flannelboard version of Wynken, Blynken and Nod, but it will probably only have a couple pieces- the moon and the three flying in their shoe.
I like how the text was hand lettered and integrated into the illustrations.
September 19, 2014
I wish I knew this story long time ago,, and now i'm 45, so this story reconnected me with a childhood which, in my case, is still possible. Wynken, Blynken and Nod sail on their bed to a magical place in the unicerse where fish swim in the moonlight and the moon is actually a friendly guy. This poem reminds us that the universe is meant to be enjoyed, not analyzed. I hope GR members will pick up on it. If anything I learned from kids books just like this one, it's never too late to enjoy a happy childhood.
February 19, 2016
This is a Dutch poem that is the story of 3 fisherman who want to fish for the stars. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod have many adventures during the night in their wooden shoe boat as they meet the moon and the wind.
I loved this story because of the rhyming scheme and the illustrations. The one I read is a different illustrator but it is not listed on goodreads. The illustrator was Giselle Potter.
I would probably have this book in my classroom, especially if we were learning about different cultures
I loved this story because of the rhyming scheme and the illustrations. The one I read is a different illustrator but it is not listed on goodreads. The illustrator was Giselle Potter.
I would probably have this book in my classroom, especially if we were learning about different cultures
May 9, 2020
Read at Baby/Toddler Lap Time on 6/29/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at "On the Road" story time on 7/30/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at a moon-themed family story time at my house on 7/19/19: https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com...
Read at "On the Road" story time on 7/30/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at a moon-themed family story time at my house on 7/19/19: https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com...
April 22, 2015
This is a retelling of the famous 1889 poem by Eugen Field. The illustrations are what i liked best about this book. Giselle Potter did beautiful work using a combination of pencil,ink,watercolor, gesso, and gouache. My first introduction to gouache was in Balloons Over Broadway and later A Splash of Red which were both illustrated by Melissa Sweet. I have read how this method is done and still don't understand it but I do know that I love the results.
January 2, 2016
I was most excited about this, of all my sons Christmas presents!!! I wasn't too crazy about the illustrations but he was completely captivated!!! Lots of things to point out in the illustrations. Halfway through the story he took my face in his hands and said "my mommy, you can teach me so many things in this book" it was one of the most touching moments I've had with him. The story is a perfect short bedtime story and an instant favorite in our house!!!
August 30, 2016
This is one of my favorite children's works, and one which my mom read to us. The book contains three stories -- Wynken, Blyken, & Nod; The Sugarplum Tree; and The Gingham Dog & Calico Cat. All of these are lovely bedtime stories with excellent illustrations. The stories are essentially long poems and a have a lyrical rhythmic quality. The small boys sailing the sea is great and the Sugarplum tree tantalize the child's imagination with thoughts of candy in their dreams.
May 12, 2009
Cute story, but the artwork is a little creepy.
October 5, 2012
I like the lullaby, but I didn't care for the illustrations in this version.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews