Dad, Mum and Jim love their remote station life. But sometimes they feel a bit lonely. Mum would like to talk to her friends, and she worries what would happen if someone had an accident. Jim has heard about the newfangled radios that everyone’s talking about. If they had one of those he could talk to his friend, Frank. Then one day a truck drives up with a pedal radio – which can tap out Morse code. Jane Jolly’s storytelling is so friendly and Robert Ingpen’s illustrations evoke the true sense of outback Australia at a time not only before mobiles but also before landlines.

This is a beautiful and informative book.

Reviewed by Merle Morcom

Age Guide 7+