Random House U.S. and Penguin Random House U.K. Children’s Divisions to Publish ‘The Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep,’ The Follow-Up to The #1 International Bestseller ‘The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep’ By Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin
New York and London — The Random House U.S. and Penguin Random House U.K. children’s divisions of Penguin Random House jointly announce the publication of THE LITTLE ELEPHANT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP, the second picture book from Swedish author Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin. The news was announced today by Barbara Marcus, President & Publisher of Random House Children’s Books (U.S.), and Francesca Dow, Managing Director, Penguin Random House Children’s U.K., who obtained World English rights from Julia Angelin of the Stockholm-based Salomonsson Agency.
In Fall 2015, Ehrlin’s The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep was acquired and published by Penguin Random House after being self-published to incredible runaway success. The phenomenon has continued with rights successively being sold in 44 territories and 43 languages and international sales currently exceeding 1.6 million copies.
“Ehrlin’s first book has helped so many parents here in the U.S. and across the globe ease the often-trying bedtime ritual,” says Marcus. “With THE LITTLE ELEPHANT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP, we look forward to giving these families, and those new to the books, another set of endearing characters with whom to end the day.”
The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep received widespread media attention for its reported success in lulling children to sleep in minutes by employing positive-reinforcement techniques to promote relaxation. The book’s effectiveness has been heralded from parent testimonials to outlets like The New York Times and the Daily Mail.
Ehrlin wrote THE LITTLE ELEPHANT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP with the same objective of helping children fall asleep and improving families’ bedtime routines, and this second book uses all-new child-tested, parent-approved techniques. Beautifully illustrated by Sydney Hanson, the book features Ellen the Elephant, who is on a journey through a magical forest that leads to sleep. Along the way, she meets different fantastical characters and has soothing experiences that are meant to help children relax and slip into slumber quickly. The book also includes tips written by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin for using the techniques successfully.
“As a father of a young boy myself and with another on the way, I am continually moved by the letters I receive from parents around the world sharing how The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep has helped their children at bedtime,” says Ehrlin. “I am eager to introduce Ellen the Elephant and her friends to these families, and I hope the story and new techniques will continue to help.”
Francesca Dow adds, “We are excited to be publishing THE LITTLE ELEPHANT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP. The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep has become a trusted and loved part of millions of nightly routines across the world. It is meeting a very real need. We look forward to introducing Ellen the Elephant and her friends to parents and their children this autumn, giving them new ways for getting their children to sleep at bedtime.”
In the U.S., the Crown Books for Young Readers imprint of Random House Children’s Books will publish THE LITTLE ELEPHANT WHO WANTS TO FALL ASLEEP in hardcover and ebook formats. In the U.K., the book will be published by Ladybird in hardback, paperback, and ebook formats. The first U.S. printing is 150,000 copies.
Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio, will simultaneously publish an audiobook edition on October 4, 2016, available on CD and as a digital download. Both the CD and digital download will feature dual narrations—one with a male narrator, Fred Sanders, and one with a female narrator, Kathleen McInerney, both of whom also narrated Ehrlin’s The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep. Penguin Random House Children’s U.K. will publish a U.K.-originated audiobook with both male and female narrations available on October 6, 2016.
Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin was born in Huskvarna, a small town in Sweden. He is a behavioral scientist with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and teaches communications at a Swedish university. He is also a life coach and leadership trainer. The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep was his first book for children, and he has also previously published an adult title with themes of personal development and psychology.
