Wynken, Blynken and Nod

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
by Eugene Field with illustrations by Barbara Cooney/ published 1970 by Hastings House

Many a night was I rocked to sleep by my mother singing the '71 Donovan version of this beloved children's poem. The only other song that evokes those moments for me is Peter, Paul & Mary's Stewball, but I suppose both of those date my mom in a way she would rather I not.

From what I can gauge looking online, this version was originally published in France under the title PAPILLOT, CLIGNOT ET DODO by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. I've always loved this tale of three little ones and their adventures in a wooden shoe... even if in the end, they are not what they appear to be. Since I have two sisters, it meant all the more... and I would picture the three of us, setting sail... drifting on the marsh by my childhood home.

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.

Honestly, I'm not too wild about the illustrations. The children are a little too doughy and washed out by the black of night, but it is still such a special poem, that the less than stellar illustrations are forgiven. Ms. Cooney certainly let her true colors shine in plenty of other titles.

Also by:
The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat
Christmas in the Barn
Chanticleer and the Fox
The Crows of Pearblossom
Ox-Cart Man
Favorite Poems
The Man Who Didn't Wash His Dishes