"Day Break" By Amy McQuire
Day Break is a powerful and moving picture book that follows a family as they journey back to Country on January 26. Through a shifting landscape, they draw strength from one another and from the stories they share—stories of survival, culture, and deep connection to land.
Told with honesty and heart, Day Break challenges the dominant narrative around 'Australia Day,' offering instead a truth-telling perspective that centres Indigenous resistance, resilience, and the ongoing fight for justice. It honours the past while holding hope for the future—opening space for important conversations with the next generation.
Bold, confronting, and ultimately hopeful, Day Break is an essential read for families, educators, and all who are ready to engage in meaningful dialogue about Australia's history and future.
This title is featured in the Koori Curriculum Club, to gain access purchase your Koori Curriculum Club membership here.
- ISBN: 9781760508159
- Audience: Children (Ages 5+)
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 24
- Published: 6 January 2021
- Publisher: Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing
- Dimensions: 28.5 x 24 cm
- Weight: 0.37 kg
More About The Artist
More About The Artist


About Amy McQuire
About Amy McQuire
Amy McQuire is a fearless voice in Australian journalism and one of the country’s most influential Aboriginal writers and thinkers. A proud Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman from Rockhampton, Central Queensland, Amy has carved a powerful path as a journalist, academic, and commentator dedicated to truth-telling and justice.
Her work spans some of the world’s leading publications, including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, as well as iconic Australian titles like Marie Claire, New Matilda, and Vogue Australia. Her investigative journalism and incisive essays have brought national attention to critical issues affecting Aboriginal communities—particularly wrongful convictions, systemic injustice, and the erasure of Aboriginal women.
Amy is the co-host of Curtain The Podcast, named one of Vulture’s top 25 true crime podcasts globally. Her powerful essay on the wrongful imprisonment of Aboriginal man Kevin Henry earned her a 2019 Clarion Award and a Walkley nomination, while her 2023 Meanjin piece on the disappearance of Aboriginal women won the Hilary McPhee Award for brave essay writing.
Currently an Indigenous postdoctoral fellow at Queensland University of Technology, Amy continues to shape conversations at the intersection of media, power, and First Nations justice.
Amy McQuire is a fearless voice in Australian journalism and one of the country’s most influential Aboriginal writers and thinkers. A proud Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman from Rockhampton, Central Queensland, Amy has carved a powerful path as a journalist, academic, and commentator dedicated to truth-telling and justice.
Her work spans some of the world’s leading publications, including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, as well as iconic Australian titles like Marie Claire, New Matilda, and Vogue Australia. Her investigative journalism and incisive essays have brought national attention to critical issues affecting Aboriginal communities—particularly wrongful convictions, systemic injustice, and the erasure of Aboriginal women.
Amy is the co-host of Curtain The Podcast, named one of Vulture’s top 25 true crime podcasts globally. Her powerful essay on the wrongful imprisonment of Aboriginal man Kevin Henry earned her a 2019 Clarion Award and a Walkley nomination, while her 2023 Meanjin piece on the disappearance of Aboriginal women won the Hilary McPhee Award for brave essay writing.
Currently an Indigenous postdoctoral fellow at Queensland University of Technology, Amy continues to shape conversations at the intersection of media, power, and First Nations justice.