The powerful and heart-rending tale based on the events during the Second World War, Tulips for Breakfast is already making an impact on its readers, keeping the memory alive, with thanks to award-winning author and journalist, Catherine Bauer.
A South Australian-born journalist and communications specialist and awarded children’s writer, Catherine Bauer grew up in Adelaide, where she lives with her three sons and three cats.
When not working full time as a Media Adviser, Catherine writes, reads, enjoys theatre, keeping fit, and enjoying plenty of chocolate.
Some of her children’s titles with historical narratives include, Colourful Memories (2018), Dreaming Soldiers (2018): Winner of 2019
Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year, and Australia Remembers 3, Len Waters: Boundless and Born to Fly (2021) (see our previous campaign here).
We are honoured to have Catherine Bauer back to continue promoting her moving historical fiction for YA readers – Tulips for Breakfast. This is a deeply evocative and powerful tale, set in Amsterdam WWII, where protagonist Adelena faces the trials and tribulations of life, death, friendship and the power of the human spirit through adversity.
Published by Ford Street Publishing.
Please visit Catherine Bauer at her profiles: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
Catherine Bauer shares the inspiration behind the story…
We spoke with Catherine last year when her YA historical fiction novel, Tulips for Breakfast, was just released. She described her main character Adelena, based on real-life ‘hidden child’ and Holocaust survivor, Hanneli Goslar-Pick; someone whose parents left as a best chance of survival as ‘abandoned but finds a way to adjust, her heart warmed by memories.’
‘The story is very loosely based on the friendship between Hannah and Anne during their early years in Amsterdam (during WWII). Whereas Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in a warehouse building in the city, the Goslars did not go into Hiding and were sent to a concentration camp in 1942.
What is so inspiring about Catherine’s incredibly well-researched journey with this book is that she was touched by this significant piece of history at an early age.
‘I read the Diary of Anne Frank at 13 – about the same age as Anne when she began her diary. It’s a difficult and transformative age and it was one of those works that made a huge impact on me. I could relate to so many of her inner thoughts and frustrations.‘
It is also fascinating to note that Catherine’s own father experienced the hardships and tragedies endured, but also found triumphs during the height of the Nazi’s reign in Germany.
‘The story was also partly inspired by many of the stories my father recounted during my childhood. He grew up in a Catholic, non-Nazi supporting household in south-west Germany in WWII. One of his many poignant stories was that his mother came across a Gestapo officer’s greatcoat. These coats were made of the best wool and expertly manufactured. She unpicked the garment, dyed the wool so no one would recognise it, and she made him his first suit and a smaller jacket for another child out of the material. It became a symbol to show that something representing oppression could be turned into something positive and useful. My father also had young Jewish friends who simply began to ‘disappear’ during the late 1930s.‘
On a final note, why is this story, as shared by the late Hannah Goslar-Pick, so important to be known for generations to come?
‘Hannah encouraged my efforts to ‘keep the story alive’ and said it was something her parents encouraged her to do, to keep the memories of loved ones alive and not allow that time to ever be forgotten. She says her parents wanted her and her generation to be ‘proud Jews’.‘
Much gratitude to Catherine Bauer for her dedication and passion in keeping the story alive. May Hanneli’s memory be a blessing.
Click on the link to revisit the full interview with Catherine Bauer.
Tulips for Breakfast is available for purchase at:
Join this momentous campaign with Catherine Bauer and her powerful novel, Tulips for Breakfast, moving readers across the blogosphere!
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