Herald on Sunday Jun 12, 2011
As tired parents everywhere know, there\’s nothing funny about a child who won\’t sleep – and Family First leader Bob McCoskrie wants to keep it that way. The head of the Christian-based lobby group is calling for a book called Go the F*** to Sleep to be banned before it even hits New Zealand shelves, labelling it \”offensive\” and \”littered with offensive language\”. The American book resembles a children\’s bedtime story book, complete with colourful illustrations and rhyming verse. It has been acclaimed internationally as a \”hilarious parody\”, \”a children\’s book for adults\” and \”the secret anthem of tired parents everywhere\”. Lines include: \”The windows are dark in 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 f*** to sleep.\”
McCoskrie, the father of three children, aged 7, 10 and 13, said like many parents he could tell stories of struggling to get children to sleep. But the expletive-laden language in the book trivialised the issue of family violence and emotional abuse. \”We would rather parents spent their hard-earned money on a book on quality parenting, or a book they can enjoy reading to their child,\” he said. Booksellers New Zealand chief executive Lincoln Gould said Family First needed a sense of humour. The book was a stress-reliever for parents trying to get their children to sleep. \”It\’s not a children\’s book and booksellers will not be selling it to children,\” Gould said. \”It is a very funny adult\’s view of how difficult it is to get children to go to sleep.\”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/religion-and-beliefs/news/article.cfm?c_id=301&objectid=10731715