The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep: A New Way Of Getting Children To Sleep

Copyright © Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, Ehrlin Förlag 2013

ISBN: 978-91-86749-06-4

Published by Ehrlin Förlag

Author: Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin

Illustrations: Irina Maununen

Design: Linda Ehrlin

Instructions to the reader

Warning! Never read this book out loud close to someone driving any type of vehicle
.

The Rabbit who wants to fall asleep
is intended to help children fall asleep more easily at home, in school or in a preschool. For best results the child should use up excess energy before listening to the story. Sometimes the child needs to hear the story a few times before he or she can relax completely and feel comfortable. Take your time to read this book and use your best fairytale voice, also make sure you are not disturbed while reading. By following these simple guidelines, you will create the best environment for the child to relax, feel calm and fall asleep. The content in this book is based on powerful psychological techniques for relaxation and it is recommended to read the story from the beginning to the end, even if the child falls asleep before you have finished reading. It is best if the child is lying down while listening, instead of looking at the pictures, so that he or she can relax even more.

Feel free to read the story in a normal manner to get used to the text, before using the reading instructions recommended below, then use the different techniques and see how the child responds.

•
Bold text
means you should emphasize that word or sentence.

•
Italic text
means you should read the word or sentence with a slow and calm voice.

• In some parts of the book you are asked to yawn or give a physical action. These parts are marked as
[action]
or
[name]
, where you read the child's name.

• The name of the rabbit, Roger, can be read as Rooo geeer with two yawns.

This book contains specially constructed sentences and choices of words. Some can appear a bit unusual in the text, they are intended to be that way since they have a psychological purpose. If you find it difficult to read the story as recommended,
The Rabbit who wants to fall asleep
is also available as an audio book. This may be more beneficial for the child and you can also enjoy listening to this book together, while the child falls asleep and perhaps even you, if you desire to do so.

Be well and sleep well!

Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin

Disclairner: Even if this book is harmless to use, the author and the publisher takes no responsibility for the outcome
.

I am going to tell you a story that can make you feel very sleepy, now some people can fall asleep straight away whilst others wait a little while until you drift off to dreamland,
[yawn] [name]
, I'm wondering just when will be the best time for you to go to sleep now, or before the story ends...

O
nce upon a time, there was a little rabbit called Roger who really wanted to fall asleep,
and could
not,
right now
.

Roger The Rabbit was just your age. Not older, not younger, exactly as old as you are
[name]
. He enjoyed doing all the things you like doing, to play and have fun. He would rather stay up and play all evening instead of
sleeping, now
.

All of his siblings
easily fell asleep every evening
when Mommy Rabbit tucked them into bed, but not Roger The Rabbit.
He was just lying there
thinking of all of the other things he wanted to do instead of
going to sleep, now
. How he could be outside, playing on the grass, and just run around, until he got so tired,
so tired that he could not run around anymore
.

Roger could play in the park all day long until he fell asleep on the swings.
Now. It allows him to swing back and forward, back and forward, slowly and relaxing
.

The Rabbit began
feeling even more tired
when he thought about all the games he would play and
how tired that would make him now
, before his mommy would say, Hush Roger and
sleep, now
.

All the sounds he could hear made him and you
[name]
even more and more tired. He was about
to fall asleep
, he did not know how soon.
Now
. How
close to sleeping
he really is. How the picture of him and you sleeping, becomes clearer and closer with every breath,
now
.

This very night Roger's siblings
fell asleep quicker than usual
, whilst he was lying there
thinking about falling asleep, now
. He was lying there thinking about all the things that can make him
tired now
, all those things that usually would make him
tired and sleepy, so tired and sleepy. All the playing, all the sleeping and all the other things that would cause him and you to be tired, right now
.

These things did not help Roger The Rabbit, so he decided to do something about it. Daddy Rabbit was sleeping, but Mommy Rabbit was still awake, so Roger went to talk to her. She suggested that he and you should take all the thoughts that are lingering in your head and put them in a box by the bed.

– Tomorrow when you wake up you will have the answers to all your thoughts and you will be filled with energy, but
now, you will fall asleep
, said Mommy Rabbit with certainty in her voice.

– Sometimes it takes a little longer, but you will always receive an answer to the thoughts you put in your box, said Mommy Rabbit. Roger and you are doing this, now. It feels very relaxing and peaceful to be free in your mind and be ready to fall asleep.

Afterwards she suggested they would go together with you to see Uncle Yawn, who was the world's kindest wizard and who lived just on the other side of the meadow.

– This will,
with all certainty, help you both to fall asleep
, said Mommy Rabbit.

Said and done, you went to see Uncle Yawn, who would help you fall asleep, now. On their way through the door Roger The Rabbit thought of all the times Uncle Yawn had helped him before. He had made Roger and
you fall asleep
using his magic spells and magic sleeping powder, so many times before, and this would happen even now.

Since Roger was certain that he would fall asleep, he told you
[name]
it is ok to fall asleep now, before the story ends. Because he knows that it has a happy ending and that you will both fall asleep
.

Well on their way, Roger and you were
getting even closer to falling asleep
. You followed the little path down,
down
to Uncle Yawn. The path
down
that he knew so well. He had walked there many times before.
Just walked down, down and down... That's right... Good
.

When Roger The Rabbit and Mommy Rabbit had walked for a while, they met the kind Sleepy Snail with his house on his back.

– Where are you off to now? asked Sleepy Snail curiously.

–
I am going down
to visit Uncle Yawn, said Roger The Rabbit, because he will help me
fall asleep now
. How
do
you,
make yourself fall asleep?

asked the Roger.

After a pause with relaxation the kind Sleepy Snail said that the secret is to calm down and to do everything in a more slowly manner.
Walk slowly, so slowly. Move slowly, so slowly. Think slowly, breathe slowly and calm, slow and calm, just slow down now
.

–
It always works for me
, said Sleepy Snail.

– Thank you, I will try that, said Roger The Rabbit.

The kind Sleepy Snail said to you
[name]
, you will fall asleep to this story, so you can easily. Now. Allow yourself to fall asleep
.

Roger left Sleepy Snail and continued to walk into sleep.