Seriously, Just Go to Sleep

By Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés

The G-rated, child-friendly version of the hilarious #1 New York Times bestselling classic!
Go the F*** to Sleep, the picture book for adults, became a cultural sensation by striking a universal chord for parents (with a bit of potty-mouth language to help them vent their frustration). Now, Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés reunite with Seriously, Just Go to Sleep, inviting the children themselves in on the joke.

Of course, kids are well aware of how difficult they can be at bedtime. With Mansbach's new child-appropriate narrative, kids will recognize their tactics, giggle at their own mischievousness, and empathize with their parents' struggles—a perspective most children's books don't capture. Most importantly, it provides a common ground for children and their parents to talk about one of their most stressful daily rituals.

This fresh rendition includes Cortés's updated illustrations, with a cameo appearance by Samuel L. Jackson, who narrated the audio book version of Go the F*** to Sleep

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781453257807

Adam Mansbach

An original Saturday Night Live writer, Alan Zweibel has won multiple Emmy and Writers Guild of America Awards for his work in television, which also includes It's Garry Shandling's Show, Late Show With David Letterman, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In the theater he collaborated with Billy Crystal on the Tony Award-winning play 700 Sundays, wrote the off-Broadway play Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner: A Sort of Romantic Comedy which he adapted from his book, and his novel The Other Shulman won the 2006 Thurber Prize for American Humor. Adam Mansbach is the author if the instant New York Times bestsellers Go the **** to Sleep and You Have to ******* Eat, as well as the novels Rage is Back, The Dead Run, Angry Black White Boy, and The End of the Jews, winner of the California Book Award. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times Book Review, Esquire, the Believer, and on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. Together, Adam and Alan are also the authors of the first book in this series, Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My . . .

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Reviews for Seriously, Just Go to Sleep

[sadiesforsythe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Have had this on my wish-list for a while. Attended a baby-shower today in which someone received it and I was finally able to read it. It had every mother present in stitches. Very funny and ultimately relatable to anyone who has ever been frustrated by trying to get small children to sleep.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It really hit home for me!

[bonniemarjorie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A bedtime book for parents with a catchy title. I read about this and wanted to get my hands on it immediately. This book was hilarious and so honest. I made the mistake of reading this at work - there were a few outbursts involved. Lol Highly recommended if you've ever had to deal with a small child that just would NOT go to sleep.

[snapsandreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Made me read because of the title and the high rankings on Amazon. :) haha. Cool bedtime book but beware! Never read this to your young ones. Haha.

[alsocass · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit that as I listened to my husband read this allowed, it really is only the length of a normal children's book, that a big part of me was bothered by the idea of swearing at a child. Then I reminded myself that this book was simply expressing the frustration that we have all felt as a parent and writing it in such a way that we can laugh rather cry. I reminded myself of one of the first times I actually swore aloud, it was in the middle of the night as I leant my frustrated and exhausted head against my crying daughter's back and whispered "fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck". It was cathartic in a way I had not expected and so is this book.

This book reminds us that you are not a bad parent for feeling this way and that there are constructive ways to release those emotions... For Adam Mansbach it was writing a book. For myself and my husband it was reading it.

I would almost say this kind of book is particularly aimed at a male parent who is possible more concerned about venting these frustrations to his wife. It is a bit of a message to him that we all suffer through this.

[Petra David · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes please good to sleep.. every night this is me

[satyridae · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Cute. Marginally clever one-trick pony. The sad part is that as clever and as cute as this is, Mansbach isn't a good enough writer for the concept. It could have been far, far funnier, instead of relying on the constant repetition of "fuck" to carry the weight. I especially liked the page with the tiger, but mostly it was an exercise in regret that this book was not in the hands of someone like Dr. Seuss or even better, Philip Larkin. Two and a half stars, more for concept than execution.

[tanya8dogearedcopy · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In general, there seem to be two types of parenting models when either of the parents are engaged with their child or children:

The first model, involves bringing the child into the parent's or parents' orbit. The parents bring the child along on their errands and outings. Example: Dad has Little Mary for the day. He takes her to Home Depot, The Guitar Center, to the car wash. He lets her punch in the four-digit security code when checking out items and paying with a debit card. Or maybe Mom brings Junior along on the grocery shopping trip, to the veterinarian's office or the library to pick up some holds. She lets Junior scan the library books. The parent is involving the child in the parent's routines, showing him or her how things are done in the grown up world.

The second model is child-centric. The parent or parents are pulled into the child's orbit. The day's activities focus on the child. Example: Mom takes Little Mary to Little Mary's favorite playground, takes Little Mary out to lunch at McDonald's because the Happy Meal premium is a Little Pet Shop Toy or, takes Little Mary to the bookstore to buy the next title in the The Tiara Club series. Or maybe Dad attends all of Juniors football practices, teaches his son how to cast a perfect fly or, they build a bird house together. The parent sublimates his egocentric goals to the interest of the child.

Go the F*ck to Sleep appeals strongly to the parent who holds to the first model, a person who is trying to fit parenthood into his/her schedule rather than the other way around. In an effort to watch a grown-up movie, the father (in the story) tries to get his child to bed and asleep. His frustration mounts and, profanity in storybook verse ensues.

Samuel L. Jackson, famous for his expletive-rich vocabulary, narrated the audio edition of Go the F*ck to Sleep. He delivers the irritation of the story's disgruntled father well, tip-toing on the edge of resentment without actually going there. Samuel L. Jackson is a strong personality for the book, bringing his bad-ass reputation with him and, the question as to how this no-nonsense figure would let things go this far; but there it is :-)

Redacted from the original blog review at dog eared copy, Go the F*ck to Sleep; 11/22/2011

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Amusing parody. Not recommended for read aloud.

[mrsjoseph_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three words:

Samuel Mutherfucking Jackson.








That is all.

[phlll_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Meh. Not as funny as I'd hoped.

[cannellfan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Mildly amusing, with somewhat nice art work. I'm not against profanity -- I don't mind it in my movies and TV shows at all. But this was just relentlessly tiresome -- a one-joke routine that got old too fast. Just not my cup of tea, I guess!

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very funny parody on bedtime books that shows the frustration we often feel when putting our kids to sleep. If you get a chance, listen to actor Samuel Jackson reading this - PERFECT narration!

[dara85 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to audio version of this read by Samuel L. Jackson. Very funny. I remember those days.

[vtlucania · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a humorous twist for adults in a child format. I think parents will be able to relate to this offering. The author uses his frustrations to illustrate a point. The fact that it was an illustratee easy to read book made it even better. There is a distinct possibility that I will go read the sequel.

[avanders_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hilarious. I think I first saw this when it was circulating in pdf format? then I saw it was on sale "for real" and I immediately bought it. Perfect for anyone who has kids, knows someone who has kids, or has ever been a kid.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the perfect gift to give to parents once they have overcome their total awe
at actually producing another living, breathing human being.

It is a hilarious approach to toddler sleeping habits and the illustrations are superb!

[renaemcbrian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is so funny. Although I would never actually read this to my son as a bedtime story, this really captured exactly how I feel every single night at bedtime.

[belles007-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hilarious!!

[thothj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fraking awesome!!!

[agnejakubauskaite · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

DISCLAIMER: This is a review of an audiobook.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Adam Mansbach’s hysterical grown-up poem “Go the Fuck to Sleep” is an international bestseller about hardships most of the parents face when they try to put their kids to sleep.

MY THOUGHTS:

Recently I came across Mansbach’s second poem “You Have to Fucking Eat” read by Bryan Cranston, a.k.a. Mr. White from “Breaking Bad,” and since I loved it so much, I decided to check out this one as well. Therefore, instead of talking exclusively about “Go the Fuck to Sleep” read by Samuel L. Jackson, I will compare the two poems.

Truth be told, I enjoyed the second poem “You Have to Fucking Eat” sooo much more. Although quite funny and fairly accurate, “Go the Fuck to Sleep” is much more repetitive than its successor, to the point where it even seems a little bit too long. Also, there are just a couple of parts I really like in the first poem (for example, the ending, which is genuinely amusing), whereas I absolutely love every single line of “You Have to Fucking Eat.”

I also prefer Cranston’s narration over Jackson’s. First of all, I really love Cranston’s voice. Also, Cranston not only manages to make swearwords sound cute (which accurately captures the spirit of the poem) but he also reads the other parts of the poem with a very lively intonation. Although Jackson kills the swearing parts, his reading of the rest of the poem fades in comparison to Cranston’s narration.

VERDICT: 3 out of 5

[librarymary09 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hilarious.

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I want Samuel L. Jackson to read every audio book...seriously, I listen to this one at least once a month.

The book would make a great gift for new parents...or any parents. Or even aunties and uncles (I know I've thought this before when babysitting for my sister).

[varwenea · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At the urging of a friend, I read this book expecting to laugh my head off. Don’t get me wrong, I smiled and grinned a lot, and maybe even had a smirk, thanking nobody in particular that I’m not a parent. Instead, what I thought most was, FINALLY, somebody is willing to put their neck out and admit what a pain-in-the-arse it can be to be a parent sometimes. None of this sunshine and rainbows 24/7 bull crap that everyone thinks he/she should project as a parent, complete with a plastered-on fake smile, but is ultimately looking for sympathy and to be recognized as some sort of martyr. God forbid you actually admit that all you really want to do is swear like a sailor every night you try to put your kid to bed.

Go Adam Mansbach Go. Tell the world how f’ing f’d-up it can be to be a parent sometimes. Spread the truth. Say what needs to be said. Draw the pretty pictures, make it cute, and say it like you mean it!!

[aimless22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing concept. This is probably the kind of nighttime story I would have read if I had had kids. I've got no patience.

[jasminemarie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My husband and I are new parents of a 10-month old who STILL does not sleep through the night. (We're working on it.) Out of everything, I think the single most-mystifying thing about having your own baby is sleep. Everyone warns you about it when you become a parent, but you are never really fully prepared for the first couple of months of parenthood when your world is so much fuller because of the new baby in your life, but also so insanely overwhelming because you are so sleep-deprived. I chose to request and review this book because I thought it'd give me a good laugh about those crazy nights we've had where our baby girl would NOT sleep and I wholehearted started believing that she (and I) would never go back to sleep EVER AGAIN.

The story reads a lot like a bedtime story because of the illustrations and poetic verses, but please do not confuse it with an actual bedtime story that you can read with your little ones. However, it would make a great gift to share with parents - especially new ones.

I think the writing could have been a little sharper. Maybe because I've read so many Dr. Seuss books lately, but I was expecting a little more of a rhythmic bounce to the story a la Seuss-ical fashion.

I personally don't use curse words in my life and don't really care to hear it used when I'm around, so I didn't care much for the profanity in the book. It was funny the first couple times around. After the first few pages, it got a little old for me. And it made me a little uncomfortable that this parent was so free with them around his kid or when thinking about his kid. You might think that makes me a prude and old-fashioned and I know the author was using it more for emphasis than any other thing, but in my opinion, I think the book would have been just as enjoyable and have the same effect without all of the curse words on every single page.

Overall:
That being said, I did really enjoy the book. I thought it greatly captured the frustration and every day (and night!) reality that parents face when it comes to the issue of sleep (or lack thereof) with babies and young ones. It was real, raw and honest and as a new parent, wishing of the day when my daughter will sleep through the night every night, it was very entertaining to read.

[zzshupinga · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just as a disclaimer I have no kids, but I am the oldest of five and remember having to babysit my younger siblings.

This is the book that every parent, every babysitter, every older sibling that had to put their obnoxious younger siblings to bed will want to read...because it echos the thoughts that so many of us had when trying to get them to go to sleep. This book puts onto paper every word that we thought while trying to get the little buggers to go to sleep. It's a quick, light, hilarious read, and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous watercolor illustrations that work perfectly with the book. I highly recommend that you send a copy of this book to everyone you know...whether they have kids or not, because surely on some level they can relate.

[pghdragonman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you're a parent, you've been there. What more can be said?

[sarahzee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't have kids yet, but knowing myself! I'm gonna be this parent! I'm not proud of that, but hell, this is so me! LOVED IT!

[boppisces · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabulously funny bedtime book for parents who would like their children to just go the fuck to sleep already! Light relief for exhausted parents everywhere! Highly recommended