Why I Wrote Jack and Lulu Go to the Tree Farm
By Julie Ryan McGue
Doesn’t everyone have a favorite tree? Maybe it’s the maple that shaded your childhood home, the pine you decorated every December, or the oak that stood watch over a backyard fort. Trees root us in place and time, and their steady presence often becomes part of our family stories.
When I moved back to northwest Indiana full-time, I did what any writer with itchy fingers does—I pitched the local paper a few story ideas. That small effort blossomed into a monthly byline, That Girl This Life, where I get to write about family antics, community happenings, or those quirky little life moments that make us smile and think.
One of my favorite columns was about the tree in front of my house and a visit my grandsons made to our family tree farm. I didn’t know it at the time, but that essay had staying power. It won several awards, including recognition at the National Federation of Press Women’s competition. More importantly, the response told me the story had roots worth growing. That column became the seed of an idea for something new: a children’s book.
That’s how Jack and Lulu Go to the Tree Farm was born.
The story is inspired by a real moment—my grandson Jack choosing “his” oak tree on our farm, a place my husband created to honor his own father’s unrealized dream of planting walnut trees. Watching Jack run through the rows, point at a sapling, and declare, “This is my tree!” was magic. It was family history, legacy, and love—all wrapped up in a four-foot oak with a bird’s nest perched in its branches.
I’ve written memoirs and essays for years, but writing for children is a different joy. It’s playful, colorful, and deeply meaningful. Working with an illustrator to bring words to life with pictures has been electrifying. And because my family—which includes four grown kids and seven grandsons—keeps handing me story material, Jack and Lulu is only the beginning. This is the first in a new series called Let’s Go with Lulu.
At its heart, this book is about trees, family, and the ways love grows across generations. But it’s also about wonder—because when a tree grows, so does a child’s imagination.
Jack and Lulu Go to the Tree Farm is a tender, timeless story about dreams planted, memories grown, and the quiet magic of trees.
Long ago, Jack’s great-grandfather dreamed of planting a walnut farm-a gift for future generations. Though he never saw that dream come true, his son carried it forward, and now, young Jack gets to choose a tree of his own at Weatherwood Walnut Farm.
When Jack discovers a little oak standing proud among the saplings, he feels an instant connection. What he doesn’t expect is the tiny surprise waiting in its branches- and the deep family legacy that takes root in him.
Told with warmth and lyrical beauty, Jack and Lulu Go to the Tree Farm is a gentle exploration of growth, remembrance, and the ways love lives on through nature. Perfect for readers who cherish Miss Rumphius and The Giving Tree, this story is a celebration of family, seasons, and the trees that impact our lives and influence our sense of belonging.
BUY HERE
—
Julie Ryan McGue
https://www.juliemcgueauthor.com
Author of several award-winning books: Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging AND Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and Kinship
New book: Twice the Family, A Memoir of Love, Loss and Sisterhood released Feb. 2025
FB @juliemcguewrites
IG @julieryanmcgue
twitter @juliermcgue
Category: On Writing
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
