✦ A Classic Poem ✦
John has great big waterproof boots, a great big waterproof hat, and a great big waterproof mackintosh. And that, says John, is that.
Read aloud by Storyland Classics ✦ 29 seconds ✦ Watch on YouTube
✦ The Poem ✦
by A. A. Milne, from When We Were Very Young (1924). Public domain in the United States.
John had Great Big Waterproof Boots on; John had a Great Big Waterproof Hat; John had a Great Big Waterproof Mackintosh— And that (Said John) Is That.
✦ About the Poem ✦
A. A. Milne (1882–1956) wrote When We Were Very Young in 1924 for his son, Christopher Robin, two years before Winnie-the-Pooh. The book was an instant success, and its poems, illustrated by E. H. Shepard, are still read aloud in nurseries a hundred years later.
A mackintosh is a raincoat. With his boots, hat, and coat on, John is ready for every puddle in the world, and the poem’s title tells you exactly how he feels about it. The short lines make it fun to read with a stamp on every word.
✦ Talk About It ✦