'Go the Fuck to Sleep' Declawed: Children's Version is Called 'Seriously, Just Go to Sleep'

A book landed on our desk today, which happens with some frequency, but this book caught our eye more than most. It looked just like surprise bestseller Go the Fuck to Sleep, the modern parent's tame rebellion of choice, but it was titled Seriously, Just Go to Sleep.

According to the accompanying press release, the idea to make Go the Fuck to Sleep G-rated came about when its author, Adam Mansbach, read a "highly censored rendition" to his three-year-old daughter, who "recognized herself as the culprit and was delighted."

The release quotes Mansbach saying that he'd been getting "a lot of feedback from parents, saying that their kids loved the book -- read in an altered form -- because they recognized themselves in the character of the mischievous kid who's winning the bedtime battle, and thought it was hilarious. So we figured we'd do a companion volume that lets kids in on the fun."

OK. Fun, like this?

Also, amazingly, Samuel L. Jackson is pictured in an "featured surprise illustration." It's to honor his audiobook recording of GTFTS. Zooming in:

Go the Fuck to Sleep was funny back in the day, but dumbing it down for kids kind of totally defeats the purpose. Wasn't the whole idea that it was a children's book with swears for adults and thus (mildly) subversive/funny?

If you think your children would be interested in Seriously, Just Go to Sleep as opposed to, say, Goognight Moon, it will be released in April 2012.

[rgray@villagevoice.com] [@_rosiegray]

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