Originally published in 1946, this book contains a catalogue of an exhibition of children's books held that year at the National Book League's headquarters. The books range in date from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth and include a number of works by celebrated authors and illustrations such as John Calvin and Randolph Caldecott.

The ghosts of the past rarely remain there. Not when the future holds so much possibility for them. When a local man turns up dead at the Apple Blossom Festival ball, Anna and Pratt discover the man had been writing a tell all book that outed the sins of a good portion of Crocker’s residents. So when the local cops set out to find the killer, it makes sense to enlist the help of ex big city detective Pratt Davies. Pratt’s new in town and therefore one of the few who should be unaffected by the book and able to deal subjectively with the myriad suspects surrounding the murder. But Pratt and Anna quickly learn nobody’s beyond this particular gossip’s range. In fact, it’s possible Pratt’s on the suspect list himself. Along with just about everybody else in Crocker!

It might be a murder from decades ago, but it still has its claws in the present…and someone seems determined to drag Anna into it. It’s never a good idea to spend time in a haunted mansion, and Anna’s favorite cowboy ghost does his best to talk her out of it. But the opportunity to pick from the beautiful antiques left to her in a Crocker resident’s will is just too tempting for Anna and Pratt to pass up. So they’re going in… They’re prepared to deal with a few cold spots. Maybe the occasional flickering light. But what Anna and the boys weren’t counting on was bumping up against the ghost of Josiah Baumgartner, a contemporary of Joss’ from the 1800s. And when Josiah claims the old woman who lived in the house hid his bones around the place, Anna agrees to help him find them. But something much darker is at work there. And, unfortunately for our happy little gang of antique hunters…Anna seems to have unwittingly stepped right into the middle of it.

A true collector’s item, Nurturing Yesterday’s Child offers an illustrated history of the care of children from early Greek, Roman and Egyptian times to the present – a history that will inform you and touch your heart. There is much to fascinate a parent and particularly those with medical connections and interests. Dr. Theodore Drake (1891-1959), co-inventor of Pablum, collected feeding vessels, rattles and teethers, amulets, furniture, books, stamps, and coins during a lifetime of medical studies and practice in Canada and abroad. His collection encompasses some 3,000 artifacts, 1,500 rare books, 1,000 prints, 1,000 coins and medals, and all child welfare stamps up to the 1950s. Nurturing Yesterday’s Child is a remarkable tribute to a remarkable man who showed the same amount of care and thoughtfulness when amassing this vast collection as he showed for the health of children throughout a long and distinguished medical career.