Mother Teresa's life sounds like a legend. The Albanian girl who entered an Irish order to go to India as a missionary and became an "Angel of the Poor" for countless people. She was greatly revered by Christians as well as Muslims, Hindus and unbelievers, as she brought the message of Christian love for one's neighbor from the slums of Calcutta to the whole world.

Fr. Leo Maasburg was there as her close companion for many years, traveling with her throughout the world and was witness to countless miracles and incredible little-known occurrences. In this personal portrait of the beloved nun, he presents fifty amazing stories about her that most people have never heard, wonderful and delightful stories about miracles, small and great, that he was privileged to experience at Mother Teresa's side. Stories of how, without a penny to her name, she started an orphanage in Spain, and at the same time saved a declining railroad company from ruin, and so many more.

They all tell of her limitless trust in God's love, of the way the power of faith can move mountains, and of hope that can never die. These stories reveal a humorous, gifted, wise and arresting woman who has a message of real hope for our time. It's the life story of one of the most important women of the 20th century as it's never been told before.

The late, beloved children's book writer and illustrator Tomie dePaola said that when he was "still an art student and saw the Giotto frescoes of the life of Mary in the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy, I knew that someday I would create his own visual version of Mary's life."

DePaola's splendid depiction of the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is sure to touch the heart of every child, and adult. These beautifully written and illustrated episodes draw on the Bible, Church tradition, and pious legend to present the woman chosen by God to bring the Savior into the world.

In sharing events from Mary's birth to her crowning as the Queen of Heaven, these fifteen stories will inspire a lifelong love for and devotion to Mary. They will draw children closer to her son and invite them, like Mary, to say "Yes" to the presence of Jesus in their lives.

Illustrated

In 1946, Francesca Cabrini was canonized as the first saint of the United States. This Vision book for 9 - 15 year olds tells the exciting story of this missionary from Italy who came to America to spread the Faith. She founded a new order nuns, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, to teach the Faith and work with the poor in our country. She was a tireless missionary who crossed the ocean 37 times to expand her order across the world to France, England, Spain; in Central and South America; in the United States from coast to coast including New York, New Orleans, Denver, Seattle (where she took the oath of U.S. citizenship) and Chicago, where she died in 1917, a saint of our time.

Cover art by Chris Pelicano

The great saints devoted their lives to the love of God and of others. Their fascinating life stories will help children discover the great adventure of holiness. This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of such a great saint who lived in our times.

Amid the slums of Calcutta, Mother Teresa offered a comforting smile, consoling arms, soothing hands, a kind look that gave dignity, tears of compassion, and the light of Jesus in the darkness of great poverty. She found God in the poorest of the poor; she cherished them and became a mother to all. She is a powerful witness that "whatever we do for one of the least of our brothers, we do for Jesus" (cf. Matthew 25:40)

Mother Teresa founded an order of sisters to work with her to serve the poorest of the poor, the Missionaries of Charity. When she passed away in 1997 at the age of eighty-seven, the government of India honored her with a state funeral. A million people lined the streets that day to honor their beloved saint. Her tomb quickly became a place of prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike.

Mother Teresa will be canonized a Saint by Pope Francis on September 4.