Christian author Eric Metaxas says the new book Go the [Expletive] to Sleep (Akashic Books) released earlier this week is a parody of his own bedtime book It’s Time to Sleep, My Love.
The profanity-laden children’s book, written by Adam Mansbach and illustrated by Ricardo Cortés, has lept to the top of bestseller lists, but Metaxas is confused why the book doesn’t mention his earlier rendition. “As soon as I saw it, I thought ‘Oh my gosh, they’re parodying my book,'” he told me.”I’m kidding when I ask, ‘Should I sue?’ but for some reason, the publishers are not letting on that it’s a parody.”
Before it was published Tuesday, the parody saw advance sales of more 100,000 copies printed more than 400,000, according to Reuters. The movie rights were purchased by Fox 2000.
It’s Time to Sleep, My Love (Feiwel and Friends) features a lullaby by Eric Metaxas and illustrations by Nancy Tillman with 175,000 copies in its first printing in 2008. Tillman’s art and Cortés’s art both depict sleeping tigers.
Lines from Time to Sleep, My Love include “It’s time to sleep, / it’s time to sleep, / The fishes croon in waters deep. / The songbirds sing in trees above, / It’s time to sleep, my love, my love.” Lines from Go the [Expletive] to Sleep include “The windows are dark n the town, child. / The whales huddle down in the deep. / I’ll read you one very last book if you swear / You’ll go the [expletive] to sleep.”
“I’m able to appreciate how funny and well done this book is, but on the other hand, it’s saddening to me that this kind of language has found itself in the mainstream that it becomes a number one bestseller,” he said.
Metaxas, who used to write for Veggie Tales, says that he knows the context makes it humorous and speaks to the frustration many parents have with their children’s sleeping habits but is concerned about the language.
“It’s not a hill worth dying on, and I’m not speaking out harshly and denouncing it, but it’s a sad cultural marker for me,” he said about the title. “I’m fully aware of how even saying that puts you at risk of being thought prudish. It’s like reading a joke on the internet. You never look at it again because it’s not worth it.”
Although his children’s book is not a Christian book per se, Metaxas is a well-known Christian author. He says his Bonhoeffer biography has sold more than 200,000 copies and will be translated into German later this year.
Ellen Painter Dollar wrote about lessons from the expletive-laced book for our women’s blog.
