The Night the Animals Talked

The Christmas book, The Night the Animals Talked by Patricia Barry Rumble, is a heart-warming, contemporary Christmas story about three generations in a blended family. The book received a Silver from the Mom's Choice Awards® (MCA) for Juvenile fiction (9-12 years old) in the Religion and Spirituality category. The Night the Animals Talked has been named among the best in family-friendly media, products and services. The Mom's Choice Awards® (MCA) is an international awards program that recognizes authors, media, products and services.

Two days before Christmas, the Martinez family has been busy getting ready for the holidays. The mother Sarah is frantically making cookies, wondering why Christmas has to be so hard and worrying about her environmentalist husband who is out in the Gulf of Mexico, doing an underwater video shoot.

Fifteen-year-old Rob Martinez is like any typical teenager. Yes, he even writes songs. And when he gets bored, he likes to tease and play jokes on his sister, seven-year-old Katie. Their dog, a big golden Labrador, named Charlie seems oblivious to everything around him, sleeping most of the time, but when Charlie does awaken, he will make a difference!

Rob continually monitors the computer, waiting for a live video feed that their father, Jim, will be sending from his underwater video shoot in the Gulf of Mexico. Jim wants to show the importance of preserving abandoned oil rigs, to save the ecosystems of marine life -- which include endangered species, like sea turtles -- that have developed around these rigs.

The family plans to put on a play on Christmas Eve their second annual production -- The Night the Animals Talked -- in their front year. The grandmother, Mammaw, who wrote the play, based it on the Norwegian legend that on the night Christ was born, the animals talked. In the midst of all this holiday fun and craziness, getting ready to practice the play, a crisis occurs in the Gulf, which could spell tragedy and a very sad Christmas for the family.

Will there be a happy ending? Can miracles really happen? And if so, will there be a miracle that relates directly to the title of the book, The Night the Animals Talked?

Patricia Barry Rumble, a Houston playwright and author, began her writing career while teaching science & German. Her love of language and comedy writing brought her to the theatre. Her first comedy was The Archer and the Princess (Main Street Theater 1987); followed by Aesop s Funny Fables (Kuumba House and theatres across the country, including Port Arthur Little Theatre); Mother Goose Comedy Revue (Stages Repertory Theatre); The Snow Queen, (Company on Stage), The Night the Animals Talked, (Shoe Box Theatre at Actors Theatre of Houston) & The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Fort Bend Community Theatre).

Her first full-length play, Breaking Out of Sunset Place, had staged readings in New York by Playwright Preview Productions (now Urban Stages); won the Texas Playwrights Festival 1993. Breaking Out of Sunset Place, had its World Premiere at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, Connecticut 2001. The Ransom of Red Chief, a play with music, music & lyrics by Yvonne Steely (music & lyrics), premiered at Express Children s Theatre; and in 2002 was produced Off Off Broadway at Vital Theatre. Au Revoir, Chère Bébé, (Goodbye, Sweet Baby) , had readings in New York libraries by Playwright Preview Productions (now Urban Stages) in 1994. In 2004 Robey Theatre of Los Angeles, featured a scene from the play with the late Brock Peters in A Evening of Plays. With its revision as a Creole version of the same play, Au Revoir, Chère Bébé (Goodbye, Sweet Baby), was one of the five plays chosen for the Wordsmyth Theater Company's American Play-reading Competition, had a reading in Houston on May 9, 2011.

The bilingual Aesop s Funny Fables won a staged production at the TETA (Texas Educational Theatre Association) Conference 1994 and was toured by Stages Rep of Houston. The updated bilingual version, Las Fabulas de Esopo was produced as part of the 2011 summer children s art program at MECA multicultural center; and in April 2012 at Talento Bilingue of Houston (TBH). Aesop s Funny Fables has also been translated by native speakers into Italian (Le Divertenti Favole di Esopo) and into German (Aesops Lustige Fabeln) Ms. Rumble was commissioned by Express Children s Theatre to adapt an updated Pinocchio (a mini-musical) for their summer show, which had 50 performances throughout Houston and surrounding areas. Pinocchio also had several performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston. The four original songs for the show were written by Rock Barry and Sammie Ammons. In July 2012 Ms. Rumble produced the CD, an original cast recording of the Pinocchio music. Express Children s Theatre reprised her play for young audiences, The Ransom of Red Chief for their summer show 2013.

Her work as a theatrical producer include VOICES of AMERICA (University of St. Thomas and MECA 1996); YOU GO GIRL the musical, with composer/lyricist Yvonne Steely, (Country Playhouse and Third Coast Comedy 2007).

Theatrical Publications: Aunt Sophie s Latkes and Full Moon-Players Press and The Archer and the Princess - IE Clark, now part of Dramatic Publishing.

On October 28, 2012 Ms. Rumble launched a Kickstarter project to help fund her Christmas book The Night the Animals Talked, and was successful, raising $2500. Playitstore published the paperback book in late November and sold out of the first printing in December 2012. In early May 2013 Ms. Rumble launched The Night the Animals Talked, on Amazon. The Night the Animals Talked has received a Silver Mom's Choice Award for Juvenile Fiction (9-12 years old) in the category of Religion and Spirituality.