Fortunately, the Milk . . .

Although nominally a kid's book, this is first and foremost a Neil Gaiman book, a beast that defies genre classification and all the usual demographics. It might not be Neil's most advanced or ambitious piece of work, but it's infused with that same sense of imagination, adventure and wonderment that you expect from his stuff, whether it's pitched at older or younger audiences. The story is fun, entertaining and pleasantly off-beat, and there's something undeniably (albeit unconventionally) cute about it. The illustrations are a nice addition, and the video inserts are a very cool touch, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the author's readings from various sections of text.

This book will appeal to 7 to 8 year olds and is a fun read getting the imagination working.

I highly recommend this book by Neil Gaiman for three reasons:1) As far as I know, Fortunately, the Milk is the best title for a book that humankind has ever known. If you want to dispute this, then let me say something more difficult to dispute: Fortunately, the Milk is certainly the best title that has ever been invented for a story containing milk.2) There is something for everyone in this story. And I do mean something for everyone. Throughout one father's quest to bring a carton of milk safely home to his children, there are encounters with aliens, dinosaurs (including a Stegosaurus inventor who flies a hot air balloon and a Tyrannosaurus Rex who fights intergalactic crime on a space bike), pirates, sparkly ponies, precious gemstones, an angry volcano god, and even time travel! Tired of reading about handsome, brooding vampires? Try wumpires for a change. They're perhaps an acquired taste, but at least they're different.3) This story contains not only milk, but also a very healthy dose of wholesome nonsense. Our world has far too much sense in it, and reading this book will put some much-needed nonsense back into your life.Bonus reason: The illustrations by Chris Riddell are beautiful, and without them this story would only be half as entertaining. I think Riddell accurately captured what a time-traveling Stegosaurus really looks like. Also, his illustrations of the father who buys the milk bear an uncanny resemblance to author Neil Gaiman (this is the main reason I chose the UK edition instead of the US edition).Read this book. It will change your life! Okay, maybe not. But if you have ever had to go without cereal because there was no milk at home, you will appreciate Fortunately, the Milk.

I think the publisher should immediately print up some "Fortunately, the Milk" t-shirts with a logo and the quote, "Where There's Milk, There's Hope!"I only love me some Neil Gaiman (comics, novels, short stories AND, best of all, children's books -- prose type or picture books, doesn't matter).I enjoyed the hell out of OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE, and I thought CHU'S DAY OUT was so cute I bought a copy for a friend, but my pick for BEST NEIL GAIMAN BOOK OF 2013 (and maybe the best book of the century) is definitely, FORTUNATELY, THE MILK.My daughter -- who read it after me -- swears Mr. Gaiman has been following me around for the last decade or so (apparently I, too, stop and talk to local shop persons and even strangers, often returning HOURS after I'm expected back; and I seem to have a propensity for telling whoppers).I don't want to dissect it any further, because that would be like pulling the wings off of a mayfly, but I would like to say that I only loved Prof. Steg and the Wumpires. And I only love those last lines from dad, about how he can prove it all really happened. :)Personally, I LOVE the Chris Riddell illustrations in the British edition the most (I also have a copy of the U.S. version, illustrations by Skottie Young). This book has been on the (Middle age Chilren's) NYTimes bestseller list for two months and counting and deservedly so! It's just whimsical as hell, and does a great job displaying both the sense of wonder and the craft inherent in the act of story-telling.Now, I must traverse the staircase in our home, past Austrialio-pithecine-like spiders, being careful not to awaken the six-foot plus Kangaroo which often sleeps near our doorstep at nights (we call him Kongaroo) and go in search of something to drink. Fortunately, there's chocolate milk in the fridge.

"Fortunately, the Milk..." a review - by John Hoggard aged 41 and 364/365ths.The story tells a tale of a father who, on remembering that his children have no milk for their breakfast cereal, pops out to the corner shop to get some. The children then ponder what is taking him so long and when father eventually returns his tale is truly fantastical - involving Talking Dinosaurs, Time-Travel (handled very well!) and large dollops of humour. The children are not passive in the tale and keep interrupting the father when a potential plot-hole emerges in the narrative. The illustrations by Chris Riddell are beautiful and enhance the words on the page, and are equal in the story telling to the words for capturing the mood and humour in the story.

That's the best way I can sum this up. Fortunately, The Milk is a funny, silly adventure that reminds me of nothing more than the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. The style of zany absurdist comedy combined with a romp through space and time is just too strong a resemblance to be a coincidence. Given that Neil Gaiman knew Douglas Adams in life, I would say it's likely an homage to his work.This was the latest pick for me and my son to read together and discuss. We are both Neil Gaiman fans and both enjoyed it thoroughly. A significant change of pace from his usual genre, but very well done. Mr. Gaiman is a master of his craft, and I can't wait until my son is old enough for me to introduce his other works.

I have seen illustrated the same tale with other talented artists, Skottie Young totally nails it in this edition.

Great book

I got this for my friend's kid but sneaked a quick read before I met him and quite enjoyed all the fun adventures the dad in the story had.

Fortunately, the milk é simples de se ler em inglês, possui um vocabulário e utiliza de tempos verbais bem simples, só que a história tem que ser lida bem calmamente, porque ela dá um grandíssimo nó em nossas cabeças, pós tem viajem no tempo envolvida na história toda.Felizmente, o leite ou Fortunately, the milk é um livro infantil escrito pelo Neil Gaiman (o mesmo escritor de Deuses Americanos, Sandman, etc.). Neil Gaiman é o meu autor favorito, e esse é de longe um dos livros mais simples e surpreendentes do Gaiman (lembre-se, mais simples e surpreendente. Deuses Americanos, Sandman, Coraline, etc, não são simples mas são surpreendente.), e é uma história destinada para o público infantil, mas óbvio que um adulto pode muito bem aproveitá-la. Muito divertido.O livro conta a história de duas crianças que a muito estão esperando o pai que foi comprar leite para eles comerem o cereal, o pai, como já foi citado antes, estava demorando muito, e quando ele finalmente chegou, contou uma mirabolante história de o porquê ele ter se atrasado, e essa história contem piratas, dinossauros, ETs, etc. Esse é um livro muito legal, tanto para ler sozinho quanto para ler para uma criança! Esse livro foi o primeiro que eu li em inglês, por isso eu tenho um carinho maior ainda por ele!