• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

A Bloom of Friendship is the true story of a princess whose birth in Canada heralded a long-lasting friendship between the Netherlands and Canada.

During the Second World War, Canadian troops played a key role in liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation. Early in the war, when Dutch Crown Princess Juliana and her family had to flee their homeland, Ottawa provided a safe haven for them. After the family returned home at the end of the war, Juliana, who had given birth to her daughter Margriet in an Ottawa hospital, presented Canada with 100,000 tulip bulbs in a gesture of gratitude.

Every year in May, a festive floral display colours Canada's capital city in honour of this gift. An incredible sight to behold, the 18-day festival features over 300,000 tulips with an astonishing 60 varieties.

May 2015 is the 70th anniversary of Canada's Liberation of the Netherlands

A Bloom of Friendship commemorates the story of Canada and the Netherlands during the Second World War, and explains the history and origins of the Canadian Tulip Festival. Complemented by poignant stories of individual experiences and 90 archival photographs, this book vividly brings to life a troubled time in history and is an inspiring account of national (and personal) friendships and generosity.

Anne Renaud is a life-long Quebecker and is the author of several picture books, as well as historical non-fiction books for children, including: The Extraordinary Life of Anna Swan (CBU Press), A Bloom of Friendship: The Story of the Canadian Tulip Festival, Island of Hope and Sorrow: The Story of Grosse Île, and Into the Mist: The Story of the Empress of Ireland. An expanded edition of Pier 21: Stories from Near and Far, first published in 2008, is forthcoming from CBU Press. Anne’s work has been nominated for several awards, including the Silver Birch Award, the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award, the Red Cedar Book Award and the Red Maple Award. The Extraordinary Life of Anna Swan ( for CBU Press, 2013) was shortlistedthe Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children's & Young Adult Literature. Anne is also a regular contributor to children’s magazines, such as Highlights, Pockets, Cricket, Odyssey, Faces, Clubhouse and Shine. She hopes her books educate, entertain and inspire children.

Anne Renaud's profile page

"The text by Anne Renaud is well-written, and its narrative flow makes it easy to understand. The information is concise, and the book's layout with coloured text boxes adds interest and further explanations to complement the text. These text boxes include some entitled "History Fact" and others with personal anecdotal accounts. The reader will immediately be engaged by the attractive format. . . A Bloom of Friendship is a useful research book, an excellent read-aloud which will lead to interesting discussion, and a book that will appeal to any young reader curious about Canada's role in World War II.
Highly Recommended."
— CM Magazine

"An inspiring account of international friendship."
— CCBC's Best Books for Kids and Teens

"Renaud packs a lot of information into the 38 pages. . . A great supplement for students studying World War II."
— Resource Links