Fortunately, the Milk . . .

By Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell

From multi-award-winning Neil Gaiman comes a spectacularly silly, mind-bendingly clever, brilliantly bonkers adventure – with lip-smackingly gorgeous illustrations by Chris Riddell.

'A self-referential gem ... Both author and illustrator are craftsmen at the top of their game, making it look easy' Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Year

Mum's away. Dad's in charge. There's no milk. So Dad saves the day by going to buy some.

Really, that's all that happens. Very boring. YAAAAAAAAAWN.

There are absolutely none of the following inside:

GLOBBY GREEN ALIENS!
INTERGALACTIC POLICE!
PIRATES!
And most definitely NOT a time-travelling hot-air balloon piloted by the brilliant dinosaur scientist Professor Steg...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Sep 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781408841785

Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is an award-winning author of books, graphic novels, short stories, and films for all ages. His titles include Norse Mythology, The Graveyard Book, Coraline, The View from the Cheap Seats, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neverwhere, and the Sandman series of graphic novels, among other works. His fiction has received Newbery, Carnegie, Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Eisner awards. The film adaptation of his short story “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” and the second season of the critically acclaimed, Emmy-nominated television adaptation of his novel American Gods will be released in 2018. Born in the UK, he now lives in the United States.

Reviews for Fortunately, the Milk . . .

[maryhollis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Charming. Neil Gaiman at his most whimsical. The illustrations by Skottie Young are perfect

[elenchus_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A classic shaggy dog story. Enjoyable to read aloud with W and most likely I won't seek it out for another reading.

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When their Mum goes off to a conference, a brother and his younger sister are left at home with their absent-minded Dad. When there's no milk for cereal, Dad goes to the corner store to get some and takes absolute ages. When he returns he tells the tale of the epic quest he had bringing the milk back home.On just the right side of ridiculous, this children's book is a delight for all ages. Gaiman crafts an excellent adventure tale with plenty of humour that feels a bit Douglas Adams-esque and the illustrations by Skottie Young are utterly charming. Whether you're a kid, reading it to a child in your life, or reading it as someone who is no longer a child, there's plenty to enjoy.

[novak_13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Our gang all enjoyed this yarn but feel that Mrs Gaiman on her return should check out how long Neil was chatting to the girl on the checkout when he bought the milk, 'cos we don't believe a word of it. Further . . . How did Chris Riddell the artist manage to draw all the characters if he wasn’t there on the adventure? (Very fishy) Us boys all fell in love with MAD MATILDA the girl buccaneer, even though we only have a glimpse of her in the rigging in the story. Does she have a fan club? Five stars.

[milliehennessy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a cute, quick read. Definitely suited for younger readers, even ones who are maybe just learning to read, as this is a good one to listen to. The illustrations (done by Skottie Young in my edition) are really what make it. I'd love to see this as a larger book, with glossy pages and full color illustrations. I'm glad I have it for my collection, but it's not one I'll be rereading.

[adaorhell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am eating dry cereal without the milk.

[othemts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We listened to this with the kids on a road trip this weekend, once in each direction.  The narrator is a boy whose Dad goes out to buy milk at the corner store and after a long absence returns with an outlandish tale of where he'd been.  His adventures include encounters with aliens in flying saucers, pirates, vampires, colorful ponies, and traveling as a companion to Professor Steg, a very wise stegosaurus. They travel through time, escape an erupting volcano, and never fail to hold on to the milk, all while on board a Floaty-Ball-Person-Carrier (a.k.a. a hot air balloon).  It's all delightfully silly and a good follow-up to our previous favorite audio book for road trips, Gaiman's The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, which very likely features the same family.  

[zoes_human · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly delightful. A sort of Hitchhiker's Guide for children. Absurd and hilarious.

[jlharmon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. My dad may not have told such stories after going to get milk, but he is definitely the kind who would. This book is the perfect tribute to fatherly trolling. And it has everything that a dad coming up with a story on the spot would have. Dinosaurs. Pirates. Aliens. Time travel. Vampires. All mixed up and told with just the barest possible covering of logic. And the kid's interruptions are exactly what the reader is thinking. And what can you say, when your dad says "well, this is what happened"? You just have to accept it and try to catch him later, when he's least expecting it. This book captures perfectly the best parts of the teasing that kids and dads share. Reading this book evoked memories of the crazy stories told to us by my dad and grandpa. Helping J.K Rowling write Harry Potter. Knowing the real Harry Potter. Stories with Star Wars, Star Trek and Planet of the Apes mixed in. All backed up with little gadgets and details. Read this book to your kids. Or make up a story just as good. Read this book as an adult and remember those times your dad told an awesome story you didn't believe, but then turned out to be absolutely true because your dad was really cool before you were born.

[hopeevey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A sweet, clever, magical story delightfully narrated by the author. It's just under an hour long, and totally worth the time :)

[eclecticdodo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a Christmas present for my 5 year old son. Unfortunately it proved to be too scary for him and we had to stop after a half a dozen pages (he is very easily scared for his age, we can't even watch Disney movies). However, by that point I was quite into it, so I carried on. It really is excellent. Basically, a dad goes out for milk but takes a very long time, when he returns home he tells his kids a tall tale about how he's escaped from various situations, usually thanks to the milk he'd just bought. The adventures keep coming. The illustrations are great. And it breaks up easily into sections for reading a little at a time. I don't think my boy will be ready for it for a while yet, but I can't wait until he is.

[erika.d · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Makes a great bedtime story for kids! It has action, adventure, humor and illustrations. It's a quick whirlwind reading ride! I loved it and I laughed out loud! All sorts of stuff happen to a dad who runs to the store to buy some milk, hilarious!

[douggoodman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I bought this book at a school book fair. I meant it for my son, but I ended up reading it. I thought the book was "classic Gaiman" in the best way. Fun, clever writing, which is his style. It is also a great "Dad's story" about his adventures when he was out buying milk. The artwork I was a little put off by, at first, but now I really like it. I see where the style fits perfectly with the book.

[pennylane78 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Neil Gaiman never disappoints! Another gem!

[ladyjoana-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't all that taken with the book. It's a fine childrens tale, and we're i 5 years old it would feel just as silly as alice in wonderland, but fortunatly, the milk saved it.

[kmajort · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

OK. Favorite book this year! (and this year had some goodies). Must, must, must be read aloud.
Many times.
:)

[sszkutak_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When mom leaves for a trip and dad is in charge anything can happen and in this book when dad goes out for milk - all the crazy happens.

This was an adorable book about a trip for milk that leads to a crazy story about dinosaurs, time travel, vampires, and obviously the milk. The book is a fantastical story about something so simple a grocery trip and it is brought to life through beautiful images by Skottie Young. The plot is hilarious and over the top but the reader becomes captured in it as the dad spins the tale to his kids.

I am so glad that I happened upon this book in the library, although this may be one that I need to add to my collection. It is wonderful and I could read it again and again. I think that young readers and their parents will really enjoy this one.
It is a short one though so I can't go into any more detail without giving away fun bits. Definitely a fun one!

[jnmwheels · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow! Loved it. SO many stories so little time. Great read aloud.

[valzi-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fun, but not up to Gaiman's usual standards for a children's book. This is in large part just because it's written for a younger audience than his other children's books. I think this book is meant to be read aloud by a parent to a child, with excitement, big gestures, and interaction. It's almost like a very lengthy, wordy picture-book, but just a little more involved. I may read it to a kid someday.

[terris-7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is adorable! I just love Neil Gaiman's work and want to read all of his books if I can. This is a story about a father going out to get milk for his children's breakfast, and the fantastic tale he tells them on his return. After each part of the adventure unfolds, he says "Fortunately, the milk...." At the end when his children don't believe all he's told, he shows as 'proof' that he's telling the truth, "Look, here's the milk!" That's my kind of humor! I highly recommend this book :)

[inky_fingers · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fun & clever, but a little thin.

[christianr_899499 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When father is in charge and has to go get milk for breakfast, he reports when he returns of a fantastical adventure with dinosaurs, pirates, time machines, aliens, and more. It's a lot of fun. This is a good book to hand to a middle grade reader.

[imperfectcj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun, relatively quick read-aloud. We read it after lunch today, and my kids loved it. We all laughed out loud.

[adamwolf_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Delightful!

[lissabeth21 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A hilarious romp.

[aliceap-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman with illustrations by Skottie Young is simply delightful. It's hard for me to decide which was more enjoyable: the writing or the drawings. Honestly, I think that the reason I enjoyed this book so much was that the two of them paired so well together. This is exactly the kind of story that an imaginative parent would tell their child and embellish over time. The main character of this book is a father who is left alone to watch the kids and who goes out to get milk for breakfast and takes forever to get back home.When he finally returns he spins an impossible yarn to explain his tardiness to his extremely skeptical children. Anyone who has read Gaiman's writing knows that he's an absolutely wonderful fantasy author but it's his sense of humor that makes this book unique. Maybe you've heard of 'dad jokes' before? Well, this is basically one big dad joke accompanied by super cute ink illustrations. 10/10 on all fronts.I absolutely love the illustrations by Skottie Young. This is another one of those books where you want to hang up the illustrations on the wall of your house...at least I do.

[ibeth_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a fun read! I wish my kids were the right age for this book, but even though they aren't, I enjoyed the book just for myself.

[tenaciousreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Listened to the audio book with my boys (ages 8 & 10). They loved it, and both said I should give it 5 stars. Can't argue with that.

[klarsenmd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Neil Gaiman can do no wrong. A great book for elementary school kids. Very whimsical!

[tuirgin_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

On my own for the night with two of my daughters, we read this straight through in a single sitting at the dinner table while sipping chocolate and dipping biscotti. My kids (6 and 10) really enjoyed it, and didn't tire of listening. All told, it was a pleasant read. The illustrations are a lot of fun and definitely contribute to the pleasure of reading the book.