Daisy Sunshine

'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.'

Profesor Marie R Bashir AC CVO
Governor of New South Wales

'Daisy Sunshine' is dedicated to Professor Marie Bashir, an extraordinary woman.

by Susanne Gervay
illustrated by Teresa Culkin-Lawrence

Daisy Sunshine and her Mum are a small family now. There may be just two of them, but they’re going to make it – find new friends, a new life and discover who they are.

It's the 1970s so it's the time of flower-power, colourful t-shirts, marches to save trees and women’s rights. Wonderful people join Daisy Sunshine and her Mum, like Rainbow Rose with her golden hair and hippy caftans and Nina Papadopolous whose parents came from Greece, the Colonel and of course old Dot with her BIG singlets and underpants hanging on the clothes line.

DAISY SUNSHINE'S SONG

Teresa culkin Lawrence, Hazel Edwards and Susanne Gervay

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)
This tune can be used to sing Daisy Sunshine's Song.

For more information about Teresa Culkin Lawrence's illustrations see www.teresaculkinlawrence.com.au

Daisy Sunshine illustration by Teresa Culkin Lawrance

The National Museum Makes Feminism REAL for Kids Today

Equal pay
Education
Fair work
No to Violence

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

The National Museum met the challenge of making WOMEN's RIGHTS relevant and real to kids in 2008.

How? Through STORY.

Award winning author Susanne Gervay was handed the 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 understand Feminism'

Susanne Gervay wrote the funny and moving DAISY SUNSHINE for kids 8 to12 year olds

'It was wonderful but very hard to create story when young people became fellow travellers in the journey of women’s rights. A journey that is part of Australian identity today.'

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.