‘Go the F— to Sleep’ author announces a f—ing sequel

Adam Mansbach, whose 2011 book “Go the F— to Sleep” became an unexpected hit for small publisher Akashic, has written a follow-up to his obscenely comic picture book: “You Have to F—ing Eat.” The book will be released on Nov. 12.

The first book became a minor publishing phenomenon when it was released, and struck a nerve with sleepless and frustrated parents everywhere. (Seriously, everywhere. The book has been translated more than a few times, including a version in Jamaican patois.)

Told in rhyming stanzas and accompanied by storybook-style illustrations, the book chronicles a parent’s fruitless efforts to put his child down for the night.

“The eagles who soar through the sky are at rest
And the creatures who crawl, run and creep.
I know you’re not thirsty.... Stop lying.
Lie the f— down, my darling, and sleep.”

Mansbach’s book took popular culture by storm, and such celebrities as Samuel L. Jackson and Werner Herzog recorded versions of it. A film based on the book is in development. The author even wrote a less profane version, “Seriously, Just Go to Sleep,” for more easily offended parents.

In a press release, Mansbach says of the sequel, “I always said I’d only do one if it rang true to me — if I felt like I could imbue it with the same kind of honesty, love, and frustration as the first book. And eating is the other universal source of parental anxiety, a battle of wills just as pitched as sleep can be.”

It’s probably fair to expect that “You Have to F—ing Eat” will follow the same formula as its predecessor, although the illustrator of the first book, Ricardo Cortés, has been replaced by Owen Brozman. The cover features an adorable little girl and a dozen lemurs (for reasons the book, presumably, will make clear); a sample page is available on Akashic’s website, where the book can be pre-ordered.