A new children’s book that helps kids fall asleep in minutes has skyrocketed to the top of Amazon’s bestsellers list.
“The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep” was written by Swedish psychologist Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin and tells the story of Roger the Rabbit, who travels with his mother to meet Uncle Yawn who will help him fall asleep. On the way, they meet other characters, like the Sleep Snail, who give tips on how to fall asleep faster.
“The entire story is focused on getting the child involved and to get the child to identify with Roger who will fall asleep in the end,” Ehrlin told CBS News. “The main goal is to keep the child focused on the goal of relaxation. One could say that this story is the verbal equivalent of rocking the baby to sleep.”
Parents are encouraged to read the story slowly and to yawn throughout. This will psychologically transfer to the child, who will mimic their parent’s sleepy behaviour.
On Amazon, the children’s book has received raving reviews. “The first time I read this to my 2-year-old, she fell asleep in under 20 minutes!” one said. “I have already recommended this book to all my friends with kids. Simply amazing.”
Another wrote: “I'm actually speechless! [I] sat here waiting for someone to pinch me. Bedtime just went from taking 2-3 hours to taking 12 mins. We made it to the middle of page 2.”
But while the bestseller has received plenty of praise, Umakanth Khatwa, the director of sleep laboratories at Boston Children’s Hospital, told Yahoo that the book might not work for every child. “It’s most effective in children between the ages of two and a half to nine,” Khatwa says. “In this range, they’re old enough to understand the language, but young enough to believe in the story.”
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