Kids' book parody gets a squeaky-clean version

Adam Mansbach's picture book 'Go the F--- To Sleep' is now available in a kid-friendly version called 'Seriously, Go To Sleep.'

Packaged enough like a children’s book that an unwary parent could be taken by surprise, author Adam Mansbach’s book “Go the F--- to Sleep” became a bestseller when it was published last June. And now there’s a children’s version, with a more kid-friendly title of “Seriously, Just Go To Sleep.”

The kids’ version of the title is now available in stores.

When the original book was released last summer, some parents loved it, while others were offended by the picture book that chronicles the struggle of a parent to put his child to bed. Mansbach told The Los Angeles Times that he was inspired to write “Go the F--- to Sleep” after experiencing the long process of putting his daughter to bed.

“Her eyes would be closed, and I'd try to sneak out of the room too early,” he said. “And then I'd wake the kid up and spend another hour in there. She'd ask, 'Where are you going?' and then I was back to square one.”

The new version of the title was also inspired by Mansbach’s daughter, who realized she was the one being talked about in the original “Go the F--- to Sleep” and loved it. Mansbach decided to edit out all controversial language and allow kids in on the joke.

Molly Driscoll is a Monitor contributor.