Wynken, Blynken, & Nod [Hardcover]

Eugene Field (Author), Johanna Westerman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

In this bedtime poem, three fishermen in a wooden shoe catch stars in their nets of silver and gold.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspired by Field's bedtime poem with its night sky of "twinkling foam," Westerman (The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat) conjures forth an eerie, luminous sea- and skyscape, aglitter with splendid silver "herring fish" stars. Three children and their cat enact the roles of Field's fishermen as they sail off in a wooden shoe boat, its sail made from a patched sheet. While not surrealistic, the characters and setting are thoroughly dreamlike. The artist's predominantly blue-green palette influences not only the pictures of the sea and moon, but also the children's faces. They stare like ghostly sleepwalkers, their countenances reflecting the blue of the sky, while the crater-mottled moon floats off through the sea's ruffled waves. The night-as-sea illustrations echo the imagery of the text, but Westerman adds more action with the children returning home, anchoring their boat to the chimney and climbing through a gabled window to their bed. Westerman's inventive design elements (the real bedroom's quilt and decor are similar to the visual motifs in the dreamscape) provide a soothing accompaniment for the familiar text, a staple for bedtime reading. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1?This classic bedtime poem appears in a newly illustrated edition; previous versions include those illustrated by Susan Jeffers (Dutton 1982), Sheilah Beckett (Putnam, 1986; o.p.), Barbara Cooney (Hastings, 1991), and Cathy Beylon (Golden, 1992). Westerman's minutely detailed watercolors depict a Dutch landscape where three children, dressed in nightclothes, and a cat set sail in a wooden shoe. The luminosity of the moonlit sea is captured in muted shades of blue that create a soothing mood for the dramatic verse. Spacious design featuring full-page, neatly bordered pictures opposite the text enhances the quiet mood. The elaborate typeface is artistically in keeping with the 19th-century flavor of the poem.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: North-South / Night Sky Books (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558584226
• ISBN-13: 978-1558584228
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Wonderful!, May 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Wynken, Blynken, & Nod (Hardcover)

I raised my 4 children with this book and now am introducing my grandchildren to it. Always the last read at night and we all knew it by heart. Pleasant dreams were inspired from this poem and what a peaceful way to fall asleep. I really appreciated the poem but the illustrator definately grasped the feel of the words.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wynken, Blynken, & Nod, August 24, 2006

By 

Adalberta Nelson "Book Nana" (N. Ft. Myers, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wynken, Blynken, & Nod (Hardcover)

This book has been a long time favorite of my daughter-in-law. Now that she and my son are soon expecting their first child she asked that I purchase the book... this is one of two books that will be part of their family tradition. It will be read by my son to his daughter at first on cassette tape where she will get to know her daddy's voice and then when he comes home and holds her for the first time. It is a great book! Great enough to send to Iraq in love of the miracle we are waiting for.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dreamy and Beautiful, July 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wynken, Blynken, & Nod (Hardcover)

I picked up this edition of "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" at the preschool arts lab where I work, and remembered that the poem has been set to music. Using the lovely pictures and singing the song, I kept a group of three year olds enthralled for fifteen minutes...without a sound. Such is the power of this dreamy little poem. Nets of silver and gold has this story, and Westerman's illustrations are stars in the twinkling foam.