Good night, sanity

Then, finally, at 8:31 p.m., it was over. “The eagle has landed,’’ said Stephen, 44, a vice president of event technologies at Cramer, a company in Norwood, as Jack’s calls about needing to go “poopy’’ ceased. The grown-ups were off duty at last, but neither looked relaxed. The eagle would be up early, they knew, and then, tomorrow night, up to his tricks once again.

There are no statistics on the number of kids holding their parents hostage each night, but here’s one way to measure the extent of the situation: “Go the F**k to Sleep,’’ a sweet- looking book that gives frustrated and exhausted parents a voice, hit the top spot on Amazon’s bestseller list in May — five months before its original publication date.

With its idyllic illustrations of a peaceful twilight, a sleepy town, and cuddly animals, the $14.95 hardcover mimics the style and rhythm of a classic children’s story. But don’t let the children anywhere near it.

One section reads, “All the kids from day care are in dreamland. The froggie has made his last leap. Hell no, you can’t go to the bathroom. You know where you can go? The f**k to sleep.’’

The book pulled off the incredible feat of going viral before it even came out, after author Adam Mansbach gave a reading in Philadelphia in April at the Fourth Wall Arts Salon, and parents in the audience told their exhausted friends, who told their exhausted friends. A PDF of the book leaked online, and many parents reported having it forwarded to them by multiple friends. The intense interest prompted Akashic Books, a small publisher in Brooklyn, to move up the official release to June 14 — in time for Father’s Day. Akashic initially planned to print 10,000 copies but ended up printing 50,000 in the first run. By the publication date there will be 275,000 copies in circulation. Books are already available in some stores and online.