Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in Manchester in 1849 and moved to America in 1865, where she launched a literary career in which she produced over forty books including A Little Princess (1905) and The Secret Garden (1911). Frances died in 1924.

Robert Ingpen's illustrations evoke scenes of station life and convey Jim's excitement at the arrival of the new pedal radio. The flaps with their wonderful pencil sketches of the characters open up to reveal rich colour scenes.

Fascinating factual information at the back of the book explains how the pedal radio worked and how the Flying Doctor and the School of the Air developed as a result. A sister book to the award-winning Tea and Sugar Christmas, with the same author and illustrator.