Berkeley toddler who inspired bestseller 'Go the F**k to Sleep' is now off to college

Vivien Mansbach attended Berkeley Rose Waldorf School, where friends knew they inspired Adam Mansbach’s popular children’s book “Go the F**k to Sleep.” The parody picture book uses light verse with profanity and became a favorite for weary Gen X parents, reaching No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list and receiving audiobook narration by Samuel L. Jackson. At Oakland School for the Arts, classmates initially did not know Vivien’s father, but questions followed after Vivien confirmed the connection. Vivien was not embarrassed and found it “cool” to be recognized as the inspiration behind multiple picture books, noting the love beneath jokes and profanity. With “Go the F**k to College,” attention returns as Vivien prepares to leave for Bard College.

"When Vivien Mansbach attended the Berkeley Rose Waldorf School, all their friends knew they were the child who inspired their father, Adam Mansbach, to write a popular children's book with the unforgettable title “Go the F**k to Sleep.” A parody of a picture book, its seemingly lighthearted verse contains a few well-placed F-bombs. The book became a bible for weary Gen X parents. It was a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. Samuel L. Jackson narrated the audiobook."

"When Vivien began high school at the Oakland School for the Arts, no one in their new crowd had any idea of who their father was. But before long, they were peppered with questions. “What is your last name?” “Did your father write a book?” When Vivien admitted that yes, they were a Mansbach and, yes, that Adam Mansbach is their father, “The usual response was, ‘Oh, my dad has that book in the living room.’”"

"Were they embarrassed? No. In fact, Vivien thought it was kind of “cool” to be the inspiration for one of what was by that time three picture books their father had written. “It’s nice to recognize the sweet undertones of those books, even though they’re full of profanity and jokes,” Vivien said, of the popular series. “I could always recognize the love coming through.”"

"With the publication of Adam's latest book, the fourth in the series, “ Go the F**k to College,” the spotlight again shifts to Vivien, the eldest of Mansbach's three children, completing a circle that began with their arrival. Now 18 and a high school senior, they will be leaving for Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in a few months. Adam and Vivien talked about the books and their close relationship in the family's ADU in the Berkeley Hills, where Adam's cases of books are outdone only by a wall of LPs."

Read at The Oaklandside