Broken Bookshop (1979)

[Music] [Music] some people in this world just love books and Reuben the man who fixed broken books was one of them and since Reuben loved books it wasn't surprising that books loved him people always brought him books that were damaged and needed repair Reuben fixed them and so nearly every morning people would see Reuben carrying a load of damaged books to his little Bookshop where the books got fixed his his broken Bookshop but this wasn't an ordinary Bookshop because the books in the broken book shop talk to [Music] Reuben oh hi there Reuben oh my cover my pages can you fix me Reuben my spine is broken Reuben I need your help Reuben I'll roll back my cover you can see the awful mess somebody made of my first page can you help me Reuben fixed books that had all sorts of things wrong with them Reuben loved books he wanted books to live forever because they had so many good things to say Reuben I think the glue dried overnight and my new cover is stuck on tight Reuben I think the little book is right your glue really does a fine job better have a look at our friend in the press a brand new cover for you how do you like it love it we all love being fixed I can breathe again and people can read me again people just don't know how to take care of us books all people well the people who owned me didn't and just look around here in the broken Bookshop look at all of us poor hurt books oh the terrible stories we could tell look at my burned friend here my torn and ripped friend next to her and there stories aren't as bad as the awful story of what happened to [Music] me once I lived in a nice house with a girl and her brother now I was new not like the other books I saw and what a mess they were somebody in this house didn't know how to take care of books at first I was safe I was on the bed but she knew I was there oh the terrible things that had been done to books in that room I can't bear to think about it now I just hoped I wouldn't be treated that way but I was worried then her brother came in I'm going to read you the book on the bed he picked me up he opened Me Gently and smoothed down my pages that felt so good it turned my pages from the top so they wouldn't tear he knew how to take care of a book in the broom closet of a house by a I hoped his sister knew how to take care of a book the way he did I just loved having my pages turned by him I thought if he was the one who always held me then I'd never have to worry at all the children of the house love books they would read them during the day and Benjamin would chew on the book covers it was wonderful until Jud by set the table and he gave me to her at first it looked like things were going to be all right but then's ready she didn't even look for a bookmark she folded my page but that wasn't the worst thing that happened to me first she left me on the [Music] floor I saw a lot of places I could have been put but I couldn't get there by myself and then the dog came in I didn't know which way to [Music] go and then the dog found me now I knew why some of the other books looked like they'd been chewed on they had by the dog the dog liked books and the dog liked me best of all oh you can see what the dog dog did to me I really need fixing now so Reuben fixed broken books every few days he'd pack some that he fixed in a box and take them where people could read them the books couldn't wait to be read again sometimes a book would even try to get into the box before it had been fixed the fixed books didn't like that at all reuben reuben there's a book in the Box who isn't fixed yet shh be quiet I want people to read me no one will read you the way you are let Reuben fix you but I want people to read me they will they will just give Reuben a chance he knows what he's doing reuben reuben look in the box look who's here with us no no no you can't come along you're not ready yet you're too messy to go the way you are well maybe Reuben will fix me next how'd you get all stained like that oh it was terrible tell us how you got so messed we're all interested all right but it makes me very sad every time I think of what happened it was early one special morning a boy was making breakfast for his mother on her birthday and I was on the tray a present from him and his cousin I was a new book then proud of my clean pages and my beautiful cover and somebody was going to read me soon oh I could hardly wait remembered something and left the kitchen and his cousin came in she wanted to help with the surprise too I suppose but she oh I don't want to even think about [Music] it it was awful [Music] awful oh I I was all sticky and stained she just thought it was funny the way I was jumping around but I knew nobody would want to read me now and here I am all sticky with Jam I hope Rin can really fix me he fixed me good as new he'll fix you too partner just give him a chance hey you should have seen me while I came in Look at me now now I can make people laugh again now a boy named Andy would borrow books from Reuben hi Eddie I brought you your book back I liked it a lot well would you like something else oh what about U Adventure no oh uh something funny yeah I got just what you want me me lie down yeah maybe you'd like that [Music] [Laughter] so Wy took the book of funny riddles he read it all afternoon and took it to soccer practice that evening what kind of insect get say in school I don't know a spelling be what it's easy to get into but hard to get out of I don't know trouble too Bab all these I have a rdle book it's in my book bag well Andy's friend took the book out of the bag but Andy didn't notice they practiced for a while then they all went home somebody turned on a sprink that was good for the grass but not for the riddle book that had been left behind help do you think you can fix it I don't know we can only try I feel so bad I love books and look what I did Reuben could see that Andy really cared about books and that gave him an idea you know I've decided to get some summer help would you like the job yeah I've got a delivery to make let's go e e e for