A Race, a Race to Moscow Lyrics
A race to faraway Moscow is run by four small creatures: a butterfly riding a frog, a water rat floating on a log, a caterpillar on a fence and a hopper in the hay. The poem ends by asking who will arrive first.
A Race, a Race to Moscow
A race, a race to Moscow,
Before the close of day!
A race, a race to Moscow,
A long, long way!
First comes a butterfly a-riding on a frog,
Next comes a water rat a-floating on a log;
A caterpillar on the fence, a hopper in the hay -
Who'll get to Moscow before the close of day?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/a-race-a-race-to-moscow/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Animal Rhymes
- Written by
- Leroy F. Jackson
- Tune
- Quick and bouncy, then a slow, curious question at the end
- Best for ages
- 3 to 7 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| First comes a butterfly a-riding on a frog | Hop on the spot with a hand fluttering above your head. |
| Next comes a water rat a-floating on a log | Sway from side to side like something drifting on water. |
| A caterpillar on the fence | Crawl one hand slowly along your other arm. |
What Does A Race, a Race to Moscow Mean?
Moscow is the capital of Russia, and for a poem about hopping and creeping creatures it is a perfect goal: so far away that it is "a long, long way". The first four lines call the race and repeat the call. The next four line up the runners, and every one of them travels in a funny way. The butterfly does not fly: it rides a frog, which hops. The water rat, an animal of streams and ponds, floats on a log. A caterpillar sits on a fence, and a hopper, an insect that hops, is in the hay.
The poem never says who wins. It ends on a question, which makes it a good one to answer out loud together.
History and Origin
Leroy F. Jackson wrote this for his book of rhymes for children, copyrighted in 1918.
Learning Activities
- Pick the winner: ask who would arrive first and who last, and why, then ask the child to say how they themselves would travel to Moscow.
- Floor race: use toys or paper creatures and move each one in its own way, hopping, floating or crawling, along the floor.
- Map it: find Moscow on a globe or atlas and trace the long way from home with a finger.
- New racers: invent two more runners, such as a snail on a turtle, and say how they move.