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Parents' Guide to

Fortunately, the Milk

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Absurd time-and-space-spanning romp an easy, funny read.

Book Neil Gaiman Fantasy 2013
Fortunately, the Milk Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 7+

Based on 4 parent reviews

James G.
James G. Parent of 7-year-old
October 28, 2023
age 10+

Random imagination without coherence or creativity

Extremely disappointing. The tale is certainly “absurd“, but it’s mostly a random series of a events that feel like the author wrote the book in one sitting without actually developing an interesting story. The characters lack personality or creativity. I’m all for absurd stories, but I prefer them to fit together artfully, as they do with books like James and the giant peach, where even tangential characters like the cloud people have some personality and unique character. There is unnecessary violence, or threats of violence. It feels like I’m watching a low budget Saturday morning cartoon. Don’t waste your money.
MamaMint
MamaMint Parent of 5-year-old
June 26, 2020
age 7+

Fortunately, the milk

It has bad guys in it. The story isn't true. There's toys that are things from the story. My favorite part was that the father got home.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When a father runs out to buy some milk for his son and daughter's breakfast, he comes back with an extraordinary story. It involves a stegosaurus in a hot air balloon, space aliens that want to redecorate our planet, a vengeful volcano god, and some pirates and piranhas. Is he just making excuses, or should his children believe him?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Neil Gaiman, the author of Coraline and The Graveyard Book, delivers another winning adventure tale for readers of all ages. What starts as a simple errand to pick up some milk turns into an elaborate, joke-heavy shaggy-dog story, full of the kinds of characters -- pirates, dinosaurs, and aliens -- that children in particular love. FORTUNATELY, THE MILK is absurd, Skottie Young's illustrations are action-packed and wacky, and the result is a goofy crowd-pleaser.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether mothers and fathers have different ideas about parenting. Why do they consider some household chores very important and others less so?

  • Why are stories about dinosaurs so popular with kids? Why are they interested in vampires? Pirates? Space aliens?

  • Do adults ever make up stories about what they do all day?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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