Mr. McGinty's Monarch | Story Edventures

Welcome to Story Edventures!  

Mr. McGinty's Monarchs by Linda Vander Heyden tells the story of Mr. McGinty and his dog Sophie. When they find some monarch caterpillars that are suddenly without a home, they go on a mission to help them.  

Listen to the author read her book below.

Connect

Go for a walk in nature. See if you can find any milkweeds, monarchs, or caterpillars. Just like Mr. McGinty did in the story, use a magnifying lens to look closely and observe. Use these observations to start a nature journal! Draw what you notice and write about your discovery! 

Learn about monarch butterflies, milkweed, and why monarch caterpillars need it.

Watch a monarch caterpillar building a chrysalis in a first grade classroom below.

Explore

Research what host and nectar plants are and what they look like in your area. Then, go on a “Monarch Mission” of your own, looking for monarchs and monarch habitats in your neighborhoods and backyards. Create a map of where host and nectar plants are located.

Check out these tips on butterfly watching. 

Engage

Mr. McGinty definitely was helpful to the monarch caterpillars when their habitat was mowed down. Brainstorm ways that you could help monarchs in your neighborhood? Are there natural areas that could be planted with host and nectar plants? Fall is a great time to collect milkweed seeds!

Plant your own butterfly garden. Planting a butterfly garden in a container or your backyard is a great way to help all butterflies. Butterflies need food for their larvae, water, nectar-producing flowers, and lots of sunshine.  

Raise a cat! You can help monarchs by raising them from eggs or larvae. This video from Urban Ecology Center will give you some hints on how to do that. 

About the author

Linda Vander Heyden is the author of three picture books. She was inspired to write her first book, Mr. McGinty’s Monarchs, after learning of the many challenges monarchs face to survive as a species. Mr. McGinty’s Monarchs was short-listed for the Next Generation's Green Earth Book Award and is a Sigurd F. Olsen Nature Writing Award Honor Book. She is also delighted to be sharing her two latest stories: A Horse Named Jack and Hannah's Tall Order: An Alphabet Sandwich. Linda lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two dogs, three cats, and a horse named Jack!