Scrap Book Apple Tree House

# No matter if you're young or old

# With good friends, you'll never be alone

# Shining light on our joyful world

# Ain't nothing gonna beat that place

# We call home

# First days, new days

# Are the very best days

# New things to discover

# New people to meet

# Fun days always

# Playing with your friend days

# Life is for the living down at Apple Tree House. #

Come on! Are we going to get on with this book or not?

Sam? Sam!

Yes?

How's your school book going?

Hello, you two. I should have returned this ages ago.

Ah! My soldering iron.

You know what? I couldn't for the

life of me remember where I put this, and you had it all the time!

Oh, Mali loves that book! He's told me all about it.

Have you got to the bit where all

the seven brothers are reunited after being separated for so long?

No.

Every time I ask her something about the book, she avoids answering.

-Dad!

-Well, maybe that book's not quite right for you.

Well, I've tried really hard, but...

-Go on.

-I just don't like the book.

I've read the beginning...

-Ten times.

-You know,

a good book grips you right from the beginning until right to the end.

I think it's fair to say not everyone likes every book.

And, Sam, don't be afraid to be different.

If everybody liked the same things, wore the same clothes,

read the same books,

and ate the same food,

and said all the same things,

ha!

What a boring place the world would be, eh?

Have you read that lovely book about the postwoman?

I love the way you get to read all

-the letters that are delivered by Poppy.

-That book was OK.

I think we might need a little bit more inspiration.

Maybe a trip to the library's in order.

Mali and I are going at the end of the week.

-OK.

-And, in the meantime, do you fancy coming round?

I think I might have just the thing to inspire you.

Yes.

-WHISPERING:

-What's she doing?

I don't know.

Ah, found it!

Nothing beats the feel of a real book.

Sometimes it's the smell of new

pages that have never been touched, or the

sound of turning pages,

or shapes of words on paper,

or the delight of reading a much-loved book.

There you go.

-It's old.

-Less of the old, please!

Never judge a book by its cover.

It may not look much on the outside,

but you can never tell what's inside until you have a good, long read.

If you make the wrong assumption,

you may never know what treasures lie inside a good book.

Go on, open it.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-Wow!

This is like...

Like a notebook, but not a notebook.

A diary, but not a diary.

More like a scrapbook.

A scrapbook? No, it's beautiful.

When I was a child,

I absolutely loved to read, and that love of reading has stayed with me

until today, but when I was a little bit older than you are now,

I ran out of new books to read,

so I decided to write my own books

with little stories from my own life.

What kind of stories?

Well, in Pakistan, my father's job was driving a bus.

They nicknamed him Lightning Tariq!

-Ha-ha!

-Why?

Because his bus was always on time, never late.

They took a picture for the local newspaper because he always kept the

bus route running, no matter what the weather,

so I put the newspaper cutting into my book and wrote a little story all

about his life driving from village to village.

And check out that boat ticket.

Oh, this brings back memories, just like it was yesterday.

You have to remember that this was the first time I had ever travelled

out of Pakistan. It was quite a big deal for a very small me!

You can say my first ever adventure.

I was so fascinated by the boat.

There were so many people all

planning to live lives in a new place.

Very exciting, but also very scary.

I explored that boat high and low,

but my favourite bit was watching the waves hit against the side.

So soothing.

And when we moved into our new house,

the first thing I saw when I stood in the garden was a leaf.

I let the leaf dry and put that in the book too.

-You wrote a poem?

-Yes, I did.

"As the autumn leaves are shed

"and spread to the other lands,

"will they still remember their roots?

"Will it truly ever be home?

Wow, that's so cool!

-So cool!

-There are many things in

there that remind me of all the places I've lived in.

If something inspired me,

I'd put it in there so that others could read about my adventures.

Wow, Grandma Zainab, this is fabulous.

Everyone should read this.

-Can I borrow it?

-Sure.

I'll take special precious care of it.

And then you can tell me all about

-it when you've read it cover to cover.

-Definitely.

-This'll do.

-Hey, Samster, I've got some jobs to do around the estate.

-Do you want to come and give me a hand?

-No, thanks.

Oh, listen, I'm going to sort out that chest in the shed.

-Do you want to come and help me with it?

-No, thanks.

-Do you want to play ball?

-No, thanks.

Hey, Samster, what are you doing?

Sorry, Dad. You can look once I've done.

Can I read a little bit now?

No! Once I've done, I promise.

OK.

You'd better hurry up.

# My favourite book I haven't started yet

# The storyline has not yet been set

# It will be few stories young and old

# So that we will never forget

# So that we will never forget

# So that we'll never, ever forget. #

Can I read too?

Yes, Bella, but remember, I'm not finished yet.

Well, what do you think, Mali?

Oh, I don't know what to say.

I never knew your dad did so much.

Sam, this is incredible.

Do you really think so?

Yes. Let's tell Gran.

She'll be so happy that you want everyone to read your stories and

I'm going to follow you and write my own scrapbook too.

And, remember, I still need to write the ending.

"They all lived happily ever after under the apple tree."

Come on, you lot! Drink up, I need to get you all home.

ALL: Aw!

-Do we have to?

-Yes.

Come on.

Come on, let's go.

OK. Let's go.

Is it time for me to see what you

were working on in your little notebook?

Well, it's not quite ready yet. Later.

-Oh, no!

-Is everything OK, sweetie?

My scrapbook, it's gone!

The one you were writing in?

-Yes.

-Where did you have it last?

Flo's Cafe, I think.

OK, no problem. We'll sort that.

Hmm, that's odd.

There's no answer.

You worked so hard on your...

-My scrapbook.

-Yeah, scrapbook.

Are you sure you didn't leave it at school?

Sure. Definitely sure.

Well, we can check with Mali and Bella

and also look around the estate.

I'm sure we'll find that scrapbook somewhere.

# There are so many stories that we've yet to tell

# So we better get writing straight away

# And use the words to describe the smell

# Of a beautiful summer's day

# Fun we had Friends we had

# We all went out to play

# Oh, my story must be told

# To all the people young and old

# A tale that speaks to everyone

# Writing stories is so much fun

# Oh, my story must be told

# To all the people young and old

# A tale that speaks to everyone

# Writing stories is so much fun

# Writing stories is so much fun

# Writing stories is so much fun. #

-Feeling any better?

-No, sorry. Still can't find my book.

-This book?

-My book!

-You've read it!

-Well, yes.

I found it out by the recycling.

Oh.

Do you know, Sam, it's a really brilliant piece of writing?

-And reading.

-Right, does this mean we can cheer up now?

Of course.

You know, where did you get the idea from?

Grandma Zainab. She said that when she was little, she wrote a book of

her own to share with friends and neighbours.

Ah. Well, do you know what?

I think she might like to see this, then.

-Absolutely.

-Come on.

Hello? Can we come in?

Of course.

We've brought your book back.

-Thank you.

-Just as we promised.

-Did you like it?

-Yes, and you inspired me.

-To do what?

-Here, have a look.

Look! That's me.

It's brilliant.

This is a book about Apple Tree House for everyone to share.

You know what? You've just inspired me.

We should start our very own Apple Tree House scrapbook library.

People could donate their stories or

they could read other people's stories. What do you say?

-Yes.

-Here's to our two books and the

start of the Apple Tree House scrapbook library.

Mali? Are you OK?

Are you OK?

I'm thinking of the beginning of my story.

Guess what it will be about?

Rockets, spacemen...

Dinosaurs! Raaar!

-You're a good friend, Mali.

-And you're a great friend, Sam.