TIMOTHY'S SONG

Timothy, the 11-year-old newspaper vender, was a hunchback, his vision and hearing were very poor, his features were deformed, his voice was loud and croaking, yet ""he was happy when he helped others because when he did he heard wonderful music, and the whole world became more beautiful."" He tried to join the church choir so that he could share the music, but his strange voice was jeered at. Soon after he died, and when he went to heaven the Lord told him ""...do not stop singing. Your songs-- which are good deeds which come from the heart--they are the melodies I love best of all."" The story is told very simply, and the author has managed to avoid sentimentality. It's not really outstanding--perhaps because the beauty is not as fully realized as the deformities. However it is told with dignity and may prove suitable for the Christmas season.