Children's book: Fortunately, the Milk

Overview
Fortunately, the Milk is a short, exuberant children's tale by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Skottie Young and first published in 2013. The book is framed as a father's explanation for why a quick trip to buy milk took so long: he returns home with a wildly implausible, increasingly elaborate story involving time travel, aliens, pirates and dinosaurs. The conceit is simple but fertile, letting Gaiman play with the pleasures of a tall tale while Young's energetic art amplifies the absurdity on every page.

Plot
The story opens with a dad who says he popped out for a small carton of milk and somehow took ages. To justify his lateness to his demanding children, he tells an outlandish narrative that escalates rapidly. What begins as a casual errand turns into an interstellar encounter and a journey through time, bringing him face-to-face with prehistoric beasts and swashbuckling seafarers. The father's account twists and turns, each episode more improbable than the last, until he finally returns clutching a bottle of milk and a tale that strains the bounds of belief.

Characters and Voice
The narrator is an archetypal unreliable storyteller: earnest, persuasive, and roomy with the truth. His voice is playful and deadpan, addressing both the children in the story and the reader directly, and his tall tale is delivered with comic timing that invites giggles and eye-rolls in equal measure. The children function as a chorus of skepticism and wonder, alternating between blunt disbelief and delighted engagement as their father piles on new, sillier complications. A practical adult presence quietly counters the chaos, underscoring the gulf between imaginative storytelling and everyday life.

Themes and Tone
The book revels in the joy of storytelling itself, treating invention as a form of play and a way to negotiate family life. Themes of imagination versus reality and the fun of exaggeration run throughout, but the tone remains warm rather than moralizing: the father's flights of fancy are not punished so much as celebrated for the laughter they provoke. There's also a subtle nod to the dynamics of parenting, how grown-ups sometimes bend truth to entertain or placate children, and to the way children instinctively know when a story is a story, even as they relish being told one.

Illustrations and Audience
Skottie Young's illustrations are vivid, chaotic and perfectly attuned to Gaiman's zany narrative, turning each absurd image into a visual punchline. Energetic line work, dramatic expressions and imaginative creature design make the book as much a visual romp as a literary one. Although framed as a picture book for younger readers, the humor operates on several levels, so parents and older readers will enjoy the deadpan narration and sly asides as much as kids enjoy the action and the creatures. The result is a short, fast-moving book that celebrates the pleasure of an outrageous story well told.