Rubber Boots
Buster’s got a popper gun,
A reg’lar one that shoots,
And Teddy’s got an engine
With a whistler that toots.
But I’ve got something finer yet—
A pair of rubber boots.
Oh, it’s boots, boots, boots,
A pair of rubber boots!
I could walk from here to China
In a pair of rubber boots.
First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).
This is pure childhood triumph — that moment when a simple thing feels grander than any toy. Jackson nails the rhythm of pride: the short, bouncing lines practically march to the beat of those imaginary boots.
You can see the scene in a blink: two friends showing off their toys, and one boy grinning wider because he can splash through puddles while the others watch. Wright’s illustration probably added the finishing touch — a boy in oversized boots, water flying, the world his adventure.
It’s lighthearted, catchy, and full of life. Over a century later, Rubber Boots still feels like a celebration of the small joys that make childhood enormous.
