Skottie Young has conveyed exceptional detail in his drawings, focusing not only on the zany cast of characters but also with the depth using background images. The black and white illustrations on nearly every page of the book have an edgy hand-drawn quality to them that complement the lighthearted nature of the story.

The narrator tells the story in a very candid style and I particularly enjoyed the places where the children interrupt their father to dispute the details of his story. I was delighted to see that his imaginative style shines as bright, or dare I say even brighter, in this juvenile genre. I am familiar with Neil Gaiman’s works for adult readers and this was the first book I have read by him intended for children. When Dad finally returns, he recounts the most unbelievable adventure he had on his way home with the milk, including an encounter with space aliens, pirates and a time travelling stegosaurus named “Dr. Dad heads out to the corner store to remedy this unfortunate disruption to their breakfast, only to be gone an exceptionally long time. On the second day of Mum’s absence the children are dismayed to realize that the refrigerator is now void of milk. In addition to frozen meals she leaves Dad a long list of things to do and remember, including the fact that they were running low on milk.

Mum has left to present a paper on lizards at a conference leaving a young boy and his sister at home with Dad for a few days. I adored this book and am so glad I bought it for my little cousin for Christmas.Gaiman, Neil, Fortunately, The Milk. But it is definitely one of those books kids will enjoy reading over and over. Fine for kids who are happy to roll with a story, but not so much for the ones who want to know ‘why’ on every page. The only criticism I have is that in a couple of places the time travel elements were a little tricky to understand. The illustrations are exceptional, Chris Riddle seems to have a tap directly into Gaiman’s brain! Kids will love the absurdity of it, and the knowing eyeroll they can have at the expense of clueless parents, while adults can laugh at the popular references and humour. There is so much to like about this book.

The story is like ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ for the under 8’s and in 50 pages. The plot follows ‘Dad’ who goes out to get the milk and gets way-laid by aliens, disrupts the space/time continuim, takes a balloon ride with a talking stegosaurus, meets pirates and vamipes and Aztecs, and saves the world from remodelling. A delightfully whimsical tale that will delight young readers and adults alike.

Gaiman milk