Go the F**k to Sleep
by Adam Mansbach
illustrated by Ricardo Cortés
Date: 2011
Publisher: Akashic Books
Reading level: A
Pages: 32
Source: Kobo
This picture book about nocturnal frustration features charming illustrations and clever rhyming verse about the trials and tribulations of a toddler's bedtime.
Warning: Do not actually read this book to your children.
I heard about this picture book a while back. It was supposed to be hilariously funny, so I was curious.
Go the F**k to Sleep is funny... but not quite as funny as I'd expected. Maybe if you've actually been through the situation of trying to put a restless toddler to bed you can better see the humour.
A few of the verses were a bit clumsy and hard to read aloud because the meter was just a bit off. Perhaps that was intentional, since the book is told from the point of view of a frustrated, sleep-deprived parent. Still, I think it could have been even funnier had the meter been uniform throughout.
All in all, it's an amusing little book, but I'm not really sure where it would fit in anyone's library. It's not for kids, and yet the picture-book format and length are not what you usually see in adult fare. I can see this book being given as a gag gift to a new parent... but other than that, it's probably not going to have mass appeal.
Premise: 3/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
Overall: 3.17 out of 5
So sad, because it does sounds hilarious. ;) I think this would be a fun gift to parents. ;)
ReplyDeleteI loved it and think it is the perfect book to have on the table for adult dinner parties.
ReplyDeleteI read it on my Kindle but I definitely want to pick one up for my home.
I had this on reserve at the library, but of course, it came while I was out of town. Seems like a funny book and as you said, especially for those of us who have LIVED it! I think it will be funny once, but not likely a book I will reread. Might be perfect for a mom to give her daughter upon the birth of the first child though...lol!
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