Adam Mansbach, author of “Go the F*ck to Sleep,” explains why Samuel L Jackson was his first choice for the audio book in this online exclusive.

When Adam Mansbach published, “Go the F*ck to Sleep” in 2012, he was not expecting it to be a huge bestseller.

Mansbach was already known as the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including “The End of the Jews” and “Angry Black White Boys.”

He wrote this bedtime story for adults after his daughter turned two. Needing a little humor to cope with some of the frustrations of parenting a young child, the author decided to “play off the existing canon of bedtime literature” and traditional children rhymes — mixed with a few expletives.

As he watched his adult-intended bedtime book go viral, he was given a choice: Who should narrate the audio book? For Mansbach, there was no contest.

“No one curses as well as Sam Jackson,” the author told chief arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown during a recent conversation in Brooklyn. Jackson, an Academy Award-nominated actor, has had a prolific and diverse career, but is maybe best known for his edgy roles, like those in films by director Quentin Tarantino, or for the cult film “Snakes on a Plane.”

“He’s the Shakespeare of the F-word,” said Mansbach.

On November 12, he came out with a new children’s book for adults: “You Have to F**king Eat.”