Ehrlin pens second book to send children to sleep

Swedish author Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, the author of The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep (Penguin Random House Children’s), has written a second book aimed at helping parents get their children to sleep.

The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep, illustrated by Sydney Hanson, features a character called 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 doze off.

Barbara Marcus, president and publisher of Random House Children’s Books in the US, and Francesca Dow, m.d. of Penguin Random House Children’s in the UK, acquired world English rights from Julia Angelin of the Stockholm-based Salomonsson Agency. The book will be published in the UK on the 6th October and in the US on 4th October.

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep was a sleeper hit when published last year. Ehrlin first self-published the book on Amazon’s self-publishing platform CreateSpace and, when it reached number two in the UK book chart, Penguin Random House decided to buy the publishing rights to the title.

Rights have now been sold in 44 territories and 43 languages, with international sales currently exceeding 1.6m copies, according to Penguin Random House.

Ehrlin said: “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. 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.”