Stories Told by Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), known the world over for her service to India's ""poorest of the poor,"" often spoke and wrote about the examples of love and compassion she saw in her everyday life. Here, Le Joly, a priest and missionary who worked with Mother Teresa for more than 30 years, and freelance writer Chaliha present a number of Mother Teresa's favorite stories as a series of illustrated vignettes. Each entry represents a different aspect of poverty: a starving family divides its gift of rice with equally hungry neighbors; a homeless child sneaks away from a community shelter to be ""home"" with his mother on the streets; a rich man learns how to give of his spirit. While several direct quotes from Mother Teresa are included, the volume doesn't approximate her voice; the perspective seems to be that of her admirers. The recollections here should offer hope to people of any faith or circumstance, as they encourage readers not to strive for big acts of material generosity, but to share the gift of love above all--beginning at home, in one's family and community. And while the words or deeds of children inspire many of the stories, the lessons are just as often directed to adults. Drummond's (Odysseus and the Wooden Horse) loose, wiry, ink-and-watercolor compositions emphasize what Mother Teresa called ""the courage of one's love""--despite their dire poverty, his characters are of good cheer. Ages 4-up. (Jan.)