Mr. McGinty and his dog Sophie enjoy their daily walks, studying the beautiful monarch butterflies and watching the milkweed where the monarchs lay their eggs. However, one day, Mr. McGinty sees something terrible! The milkweed has been cut down and now the caterpillars are in danger. Mr. McGinty to the rescue! Through his ingenuity and with some help from local school children, the monarchs are saved.

Mr. McGinty's Monarchs is a fun picture book that is engaging and filled with good things. From encouraging awareness to participating in something larger than your normal world, this book has many lessons for its readers. Linda Vander Heyden created a charming story that pulls the reader right in, hoping that Mr. McGinty is able to save all of the monarchs. Accompanied by illustrations from Eileen Ryan Ewen, the reader can't help but hope along with Mr. McGinty for the day when the monarchs have completed their growth cycle and can safely be released to begin anew.

At the end of the book, there are some informational pages that are just as compelling for the reader as the story itself. One page is titled Monarchs and Milkweed. Describing the relationship between this insect and this plant, the page gives the reader a lot of information about milkweed and its benefits. The page also gives some practical actions that we can take to assist monarchs and their safety. The other page is titled A Monarch's Migration. This page has a fascinating view of the migration of the monarch butterfly. There is a lot of information and I can almost guarantee the reader will learn something new.

This is a fun picture book that is well worth the read. If a study of monarchs is happening, this is a book that younger learners will be able to relate well to and older readers will fully enjoy. Mr. McGinty's Monarchs will inspire readers to watch for butterflies and help protect their habitats, while learning about these beautiful insects.

—Product review by Lori Hooten, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April, 2017