Daisy Sunshine

OVERVIEW

Daisy Sunshine is dedicated to Professor Marie Bashir, an extraordinary woman who has devoted her life to equal rights.

Written by Susanne Gervay and illustrated by Teresa Culkin-Lawrence, Daisy Sunshine is a heartwarming story about new beginnings, friendship, and finding where you belong.

Daisy Sunshine and her mum may be a small family now, but together, they’re ready to create a new life—one filled with hope, discovery, and wonderful new friends. Set in the vibrant 1970s, it’s a time of flower power, colourful t-shirts, and marches for trees and women’s rights. Along the way, Daisy meets unforgettable people, like Rainbow Rose with her golden hair and flowing caftans, Nina Papadopoulos whose family came from Greece, the Colonel, and the larger-than-life Dot with her BIG singlets and underpants hanging proudly on the clothesline.

A joyful and nostalgic celebration of change, community, and courage, Daisy Sunshine is a story that reminds us all that family comes in many forms, and home is where love grows.

RESOURCES

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About the Book

Daisy Sunshine – A Heartfelt Story of Change, Friendship, and Finding Home

Daisy Sunshine’s world is shifting. It’s just her and Mum now, but together they’re ready for a fresh start—one filled with friendship, adventure, and a little bit of magic from the world around them.

Set in the vibrant 1970s, a time of peace signs, protests, and pushing for change, Daisy’s journey is filled with wonderful, larger-than-life characters:

Rainbow Rose, draped in flowing hippie caftans, spreading love and kindness
Nina Papadopoulos, whose Greek family has come searching for new opportunities
The strict yet warm-hearted Colonel, who sees more than he lets on
And the unforgettable Old Dot, with her oversized singlets and underpants flapping proudly on the clothesline

As Daisy learns to navigate a new world, she discovers something powerful—family isn’t just about who you’re born with; it’s about the people who lift you up, support you, and make life colourful.

Filled with heart, humour, and a touch of nostalgia, Daisy Sunshine is a story about finding your place, standing up for what matters, and embracing the joy of new beginnings.

About the Author

Susanne Gervay is an award-winning Australian author, celebrated for her books that explore real-life challenges with warmth, depth, and heart. A passionate advocate for children’s and young adult literature, she has worked extensively in anti-bullying initiatives, literacy programs, and youth empowerment.

Her I Am Jack series has been embraced by schools, families, and readers worldwide, addressing bullying, family, resilience, and growing up. The series has not only become an essential resource for anti-bullying education but has also been adapted into a successful stage production, touring Australia and beyond.

In Daisy Sunshine, Susanne takes readers back to the 1970s, a time of change, activism, and new beginnings. Through the eyes of young Daisy, the novel explores friendship, family, and the search for belonging in a rapidly evolving world. Filled with larger-than-life characters, humour, and heart, this story celebrates the power of community and embracing the unexpected.

Through her writing, Susanne continues to inspire young people to find their place in the world, embrace change, and discover the extraordinary in the everyday.

About the Illustrator

Teresa is an amazing artist and illustrator of children’s books. She is brilliant in classroom as both a speaker and a teacher of her craft. Her art is diverse, there is nothing that she won’t try. She has been an inspiration and been illustrating since 1990.

Makings Feminism REAL for Kids Today

Equal pay
Education
Fair work
No to Violence

The 1970s was the decade of women’s rights.

I was handed a 1970s t-shirt from the National Museum’s collection with SUPER WOMAN written across it. The brief was:-

‘Create a story using this t-shirt so that kids from 8 to 12 understand Feminism.

It was wonderful but very hard to create story when young people became fellow travellers in the journey of women’s rights.’

The National Museum’s Making Tracks Collection are books where items from the Museum’s collections are given to well known Australian authors to reveal the meaning of Australian history through story and illustration.

“You have beautifully woven through ‘Daisy Sunshine’ … the major issue of women’s value and women’s rights. The illustrations are wonderful, presenting the warmth and respect and love which does develop when women collaborate to get something done.”

Professor Marie R Bashir AC CVO
Governor of New South Wales

DAISY SUNSHINE’S SONG

Girls are great
Boys are mates
Can’t you pay us
the same rates

We want to learn
Cause we’re so smart
Don’t stop us flying
to our hearts .

We’re Mums and sisters,
Friends and people
Join us marching
Marching, marching

Make the world a better place
For you and me and all of us.

Skip to My Lou My Darling (author unknown – press on songs to find this one)
This tune can be used to sing Daisy Sunshine’s Song

STUDY GUIDE

Synopsis

What prompted Rainbow Rose to add ‘Sunshine’ to Daisy’s name? Why did Rose add ‘Rainbow’ to her name? What descriptive word would you add to your name and why would you choose that word?
Daisy urges her mum to study accounting at night classes; however, her mum thinks she’s ‘not good enough’. Why would Daisy’s mum feel that way? What would you say to Daisy’s mum to encourage her to study accounting?
Rainbow Rose’s room at the Grand Private Hotel is decorated with scarves, crystals, velvet pillows, women’s liberation and anti-Vietnam War posters, and vinyl records of bands such as the Beatles. What does her room say about her personality? Think about what’s in your room at home: what does it say about your personality?
Rainbow Rose describes International Women’s Year in 1975 as a ‘new beginning’. What does she mean by that? What circumstances might have contributed to the declaration of International Women’s Year? What were women across the world hoping to achieve in that year?
Mr and Mrs Papadopolous are from Greece. Suggest why they left Greece and settled in Australia. What would be some of the challenges they faced upon arriving in Australia? How would you feel if your family moved to another country? What would you do to reduce the emotional stress of doing that?
Explain why Daisy is attracted to the piece of chiffon material in the shop. Why does she choose to wear it as a scarf? Chiffon is a lightweight see-through fabric. Apart from using it as a scarf, what else might Daisy have done with the piece of chiffon?

Discussion questions

What prompted Rainbow Rose to add ‘Sunshine’ to Daisy’s name? Why did Rose add ‘Rainbow’ to her name? What descriptive word would you add to your name and why would you choose that word?
Daisy urges her mum to study accounting at night classes; however, her mum thinks she’s ‘not good enough’. Why would Daisy’s mum feel that way? What would you say to Daisy’s mum to encourage her to study accounting?
Rainbow Rose’s room at the Grand Private Hotel is decorated with scarves, crystals, velvet pillows, women’s liberation and anti-Vietnam War posters, and vinyl records of bands such as the Beatles. What does her room say about her personality? Think about what’s in your room at home: what does it say about your personality?
Rainbow Rose describes International Women’s Year in 1975 as a ‘new beginning’. What does she mean by that? What circumstances might have contributed to the declaration of International Women’s Year? What were women across the world hoping to achieve in that year?
Mr and Mrs Papadopolous are from Greece. Suggest why they left Greece and settled in Australia. What would be some of the challenges they faced upon arriving in Australia? How would you feel if your family moved to another country? What would you do to reduce the emotional stress of doing that?
Explain why Daisy is attracted to the piece of chiffon material in the shop. Why does she choose to wear it as a scarf? Chiffon is a lightweight see-through fabric. Apart from using it as a scarf, what else might Daisy have done with the piece of chiffon?

Write a song

Daisy writes a song to sing while participating in the International Women’s Year march. Ask your students to choose a contemporary topic and write a song on that topic, working in small groups.
Have them consider songwriting aspects such as style, instrumentation, tempo, timbre (the sound characteristics of instruments), harmony, rhythm and melody.
If possible, have your students record their songs so that they may listen to them later on and compare them to other songs written in the class.

Create a drama piece

Rainbow Rose goes away to participate in protests aimed at saving old buildings from destruction. Ask your students to create a drama piece based upon the scene of a similar protest at an old building.
Have them consider the characters required (eg protesters, demolition team and city council representatives), the use of costumes, props and make-up, the nature of the conflict and how it might be resolved.
If possible, have your students videotape the performance so that they may analyse how it expressed their interpretation of the theme.
Encourage them to research as part of their preparation the ‘Green Bans’ that were a substantial part of the ‘anti-heritage building demolition’ movement in the 1970s in Australia.
These websites may be useful for research:
- Teaching Heritage
- ABC

Research the history of women at work

Include topics such as pay rates for women and men, number of women in head and company president positions, maternity leave conditions, part-time work and women in ‘traditionally male’ occupations.
Compare women’s work conditions of 1975 and today.
These websites may be useful sources of information:
- Australian Human Rights Commission
- Office for Women

Hold a class debate

Daisy is inspired by one of Rainbow Rose’s posters; it says ‘Believe in your freedom’. Ask your students to hold a class debate using the poster theme as the debate topic.

Create a t-shirt design

Daisy and her mum create their ‘Superwoman’ t-shirts to wear in the march. Ask your students to create a t-shirt design that Daisy and her mum could have worn in the march.
Ask them to use the Wear it with pride! (PDF 194kb) for their designs.
Encourage them to explore t-shirt designs that they might wear if they were to participate in marches related to contemporary current affairs.

What people are saying

Hazel Edwards

Goodreads

“Daisy Sunshine is a fun and engaging way to introduce young readers to feminism and the spirit of the 1970s. Given a Super Woman t-shirt from the National Museum’s collection as inspiration, Susanne Gervay crafts a personal and relatable story about resilience, independence, and mother-daughter strength. Daisy is a feisty and inspiring role model, while Teresa Culkin-Lawrence’s illustrations beautifully capture the era.

Part of the Making Tracks series, which brings history to life for young readers, Daisy Sunshine is a lively, thought-provoking read that deserves a wider audience—perhaps even as an audiobook or children’s TV series. Highly recommended!”