Fortunately, the Milk

The young boy is the first-person narrator. He lives on Marshall Road with his mother, a lizard researcher; his father; and his younger sister. The boy’s name and age are never shared; the illustrations show him to be elementary school-aged. The boy recounts his father’s story exactly as it was told to him—which results in the story being narrated in the first person by his father. The boy and his younger sister occasionally interrupt, reminding the reader that their father’s lengthy story is his answer to why it took him so long to buy the milk.

Young’s illustrations show a tousled-haired young boy, curiously searching through the fridge for milk, contemplating ketchup, pickle juice, or mayonnaise as substitutes. While they are waiting for their father to get home, the young boy is pictured sitting on the kitchen floor playing on a device, surrounded by board games and coloring books. The image is that of a happy family who enjoy each other’s company.

The boy reassures his younger sister when she worries about their father; this shows that he is a caring older brother. The young boy knows his father is making up the story of being abducted by aliens, but he enjoys listening.