My 3-year-old son, Finn, has been a good sleeper for most of his life, but lately bedtime histrionics have become more drawn out. There have been plaintive requests for water (what is it with kids and water?), getting out of bed to play with his toys, romping around his room like a pony, and more inquiries (“What you doing, Mommy? You watchin’ a mommy show?”).

Each night it seems like it takes a little longer until we reach the ultimate goal of silence from his bedroom.

So a couple of weeks ago, when a parent friend showed me an amateurish paperback called “The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep: A New Way of Getting Children To Sleep,” we laughed at the book’s elaborate promise.

Swedish behavioral scientist Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin claims he can help kids — and everyone else, for that matter — nod off instantly with his “Rabbit” book.

Why does it work? “The book is written with a specific language pattern based on psychological techniques that will help your child to relax and fall asleep,” explains Ehrlin in the FAQ section of his website.

Originally printed in Swedish in 2010 using Amazon’s CreateSpace self-publishing platform, the book was translated into English a year ago. It cracked the Amazon Top 10 over the summer — largely through word of mouth — at times out-selling hot titles like Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman” and “The Girl on the Train.”

The book has also been translated into French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, and was recently acquired in a three-book deal by Penguin Random House, with a hardcover release scheduled for October (the current version is paperback, with a sweetly amateurish cover). The e-book version was released Tuesday, retailing at $9.99, and is currently No. 1 among the children’s health titles on Amazon. It’s Ehrlin’s third book, his first for children.

“The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep” follows the trials of Roger the Rabbit, who suffers from a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out): “He would rather stay up and play all evening instead of sleeping, now.” He and his mother visit Uncle Yawn to enlist his help; along the way they encounter a soporific cast that includes Sleepy Snail and the Heavy-Eyed Owl.

The actual story is irrelevant — if all goes well, you might not even get through the whole thing, as children are reminded throughout the book that “It’s OK to fall asleep now, before the story ends.” (Because the book can also work on adults, it includes a warning not to read the book out loud to anyone in a moving car.)

The trick of the book lies in how it’s read, with hypnotic phrases (“sleep, now”; “make yourself fall asleep”) appearing throughout. It even includes a user’s manual of sorts, explaining how the story should be read: Bold text means you should emphasize that word or sentence; italicized phrases should be read in a slow, calm voice; and there are other places in the book where the parent is called upon to give a yawn or to read their child’s name.

For example: “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 the things he wanted to do instead of going to sleep, now.”

I didn’t think this was going to work. Finn loves to be read to — we average about three stories before I leave his room and say good night — but he likes to get involved, asks questions (“Why’d he do that?” “What’d she say?”), and occasionally bursts into song mid-read.

At first, “The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep” was no different. “UNCLE YAWN?” my son giggled, laughing each time his name was uttered. I couldn’t bring myself to pronounce Roger’s name “as Rooo geer with two yawns,” as the book instructed.

My son shifted back and forth and tossed his stuffed Elmo in the air. By about Page 3, though, the book was starting to have an effect. He lay down in his bed — a rarity during reading time. His eyelids were drooping. He was down for the count by Page 6, and I left his room in shock. The routine played out the same the following night, with only one call for water before he conked out. I was stunned.

On the third night, he started to make fun of the book — “Go to sleep now!” he mimicked, and I thought the jig was up. But despite his bravado, within a few minutes the eyelids had drooped again, and although he still asked questions (“Why’d he do that? What’d she say?”), he fell asleep again.

I fell asleep myself shortly after.

https://instagram.com/p/7Dmm6tSHvf/?tagged=therabbitwhowantstofallasleep

Battle of the sleepytime books

By Jane Ridley

Here are some other tried-and-true bedtime books that promise to do the trick when it comes to putting kids to sleep.

This syrupy tome published in 2008 includes the lines: “The songbirds sing in trees above, ‘It’s time to sleep, my love, my love.’” It’s beloved by crunchy earth-mothers everywhere.

If you’re an expectant parent, resist the temptation to buy your own copy of this 1947 American classic. You’re bound to be given half a dozen copies of it by friends and relatives regifting their spares.

First published in 1994 using just 10 words, this picture-led story relies on the trick of repetition to bring on the Zs. The narrative about a naughty ape and his friends includes a page featuring nothing but a pair of startled, googly eyes.

A hippo brushing his teeth and a moose in green check pajamas are among the lovable characters in this smart bedtime book, first published in 1982. It’s a perennial favorite thanks to its catchy rhythm.

Mo Willems’ hyperactive pigeon has built a cult following since the story first came out in 2006. The bird mimics most 4-year-olds in his resistance to going to sleep, but he finally succumbs to the Land of Nod. Told in speech bubbles, the picture book sends out subliminal messages that it’s time to snooze with solid-color backgrounds progressively dimming from soft pink to a relaxing violet with each turn of the page.

And here’s one for the long-suffering parents:

Video warning: Graphic language

California dad Mansbach reacted to the holier-than-thou parenting style espoused in his touchy-feely Berkeley neighborhood by writing this foul-mouthed parody of traditional bedtime books in 2011. It had instant appeal for sleep-deprived moms and dads craving a dose of reality, and it shot to the top of the best-seller lists a month before release.