Fortunately, the Milk... by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell
| Fortunately, the Milk... by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell | |
|
| |
| Category: Confident Readers | |
| |
Reviewer: John Lloyd
 | |
| Summary: Brilliant illustrations pepper a great little short story, with more exuberance and joy in the art of storytelling than even Gaiman has ever managed before. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 160 | Date: September 2013 |
| Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens | |
| ISBN: 9781408841761 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
A boy and a girl are horrified to find their fridge is milkless, which means their cereal will be too dry for their breakfast. Luckily, even though mum is off working away from home, dad can nip out and fetch some. Or he could if he weren't as a result kidnapped by aliens, threatened by pirates and gods, forced to cooperate with a dinosaur in a hot-air balloon, and a lot more… Fortunately, the milk can save him and breakfast – or can it?
Out of all the several pieces of Neil Gaiman's I've read, I have yet to find something that does what this book does – convey such out-and-out storytelling exuberance. The tale is supposed to be a tall one, for that's the point – it all boils down to how an adult imagination has to at least be a match for the young audience's appreciation and approval of it. Your dad is unlikely to come up with a convoluted, twisted and fun little story such as this, but if you're Gaiman Junior he might well do – and this personal little tome is a result.
It's no surprise, then, that the pictures have the dad looking a lot like a young Gaiman. All told they're great, and there are a lot of them, forcing this very much to be a two-hander. As for the words, there is a sense that Gaiman did knock this up over a cup of tea when the kids had finished breakfast one morning – he's nothing if not prolific, after all. There is such a huge dollop of whimsy about it all, a frivolous brio that is the selling point of the story. Adults have to get over the problems he gives himself regarding time travel paradoxes – things from the future happening in the present causing 'that' future to exist, etc – and the fact that while the dad's story is the main thrust of the tale it's really the boy who is narrator. But such things are perfectly easy to get over given such sprightliness.
It is in the end a little inconsequential, something I find a lot from Gaiman. But dammit the chutzpah, that exuberance and the conviviality he shares with audiences of any ages in this book means I can't dislike this volume. Yes, it's over in a flash, but it's a bright flash, and multi-coloured and effusive and glamorous and has an edge of danger with a bright, safe heart of wonder. And just as Gaiman has managed with the best of his picture books, he's taken a singularity out of his extremely weird mind and worldview to produce something openly warm, creative and acceptable to countless members of his audience. This, then, is another of his books worth an easy recommendation.
I must thank the publishers for my review copy.
Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean is the latest of those aforementioned picture books. You might also enjoy The Tunnels Below by Nadine Wild-Palmer, although we had our reservations.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy Fortunately, the Milk... by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Fortunately, the Milk... by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
