funny, typical Roald Dahl
598705
good play, but a bit scary for young kids. It is a Roald Dahl story, what more can I say?
3681727
Very funny book, with, as is usual for Michael Hall, wonderful illustrations.  My 4 and 6 year old grandchildren loved it.
1216816
The book contains 10 short stories about the silly antics of King Bobble and Queen Bobble.  The funny stories will have children giggling over the absurdity, along with the wonderful illustrations.  The king is rather  pompous and self-centered, as one would expect of a king, I suppose.  But  he always says "please" when making silly requests of his staff.  The stories are just the right length for a quick story before bedtime.  Everyone is polite and the characters are more like children play-acting as  being king and queen.  Enjoyable!
3002956
This was a cute, silly, clever little read.  There were no annoying (for me) grammar or punctuation issues, the characters were amusing, and the "serial killer mystery" had all the violence of an Agatha Christie novel (i.e. none).  I found myself laughing out loud at some of the conversations, esp. between the heroine and her one-eyed cat.  There's nothing deep here, but it's a fun, relaxing, and quick read.  Like a good cup of herb tea, it's perfect for bedtime.  I'm on to book #2.
936675
I think that Roald Dahl is probably the greatest children's author of the 20th century. He's three things that I'm always wanted to be. An Author, a genius, and Norwegian. I'm only one of the three :-) I'll let you guess which ones. Anyway, what a marvelous read and reminder that if life gives you giant peaches make chocolate cake and leave them wondering how you did it!
756658
My seven year old son and I are big fans of Roald Dahl.  We both loved this book, and especially the vivid characterizations.  Matilda herself is such a great strong child character, rivaling James, in "James and the giant peach".  She's a wonder and has joined our family dramas along with her beloved teacher, Miss Honey, and the villainous head mistress, Miss Trunchbull.
4765443
Roald Dahl does it again! James and the Giant Peach is a favorite in this house so we decided to do a book study, chapter by chapter, in our homeschool. A blast! The poetry alone will make you laugh but Roald's descriptive writing and humor is some of the best there is.

Highly recommended.
2781033
Confession time -- the only Neil Gaiman book I've read is "The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish."  I'm fully aware that his usual writing is much darker and weirder than his children's fare, and that both "Goldfish" and "Fortunately, the Milk" are goofy departures from his usual tone.  However, that doesn't detract from the fact that both books were lighthearted and goofy romps, perfect for kids and even enjoyable for adults who'll be better able to catch some of the sly references and jokes within their pages.  And "Fortunately, the Milk" is a quick but zany read with delightful illustrations that should please both kids and adults.

"Fortunately, the Milk" opens with the mother of a family gone for a convention, leaving Dad to take care of the two daughters.  When the family runs out of milk one morning, Dad heads to the corner store to get some more.  After an excruciatingly long wait, Dad returns with the milk... and the most insane why-I-was-running-late story you've ever heard.  Is Dad's tale of alien abduction, vicious pirates, a time-traveling dinosaur, vengeful volcano gods, colorful talking ponies, and bloodsucking wumpires just another of his goofy jokes, or is there some measure of truth behind the story?

This book is a swift read, without much weight to its story, but I'm perfectly okay with that.  This story isn't meant to be serious at all, but a silly flight of fancy, and in that respect it works perfectly.  It's amusing and a lot of fun to see just how high Neil Gaiman and the father of the story can ratchet up the weirdness, and the various twists and turns of the story eventually -- and surprisingly -- coalesce into a whole which leads to a satisfying resolution.

Despite being a kid's book, however, this book has plenty of references that adults will probably get -- yes, children will probably find the reference to "My Little Pony," but adults will be more likely to get the references to "Doctor Who" and "Twilight."

The version of the book I read had illustrations by Skottie Young, the artist behind "I Hate Fairyland" and the graphic-novel adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz."  His art style is exaggerated and loaded with silly details, but still fun and enjoyable.  I dearly wish the book had been in color to capitalize on the artwork, but I understand that such a move would have been pricey.

A lighthearted and silly book, this is still a fun bit of escapism and humor for kids, especially if they enjoyed "The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish."  I can easily see this book being made into a goofy children's film, or even an animated short.
1399143
It had lots of details and it is funny and also I feel sorry for the Bucket family because they started to starve.
  I LOVE ROALD DAHL BOOKS! HE IS AN AWESOME, AMAZING, TALENTED, AND FUNNY AUTHOR
3424594
This book Has ten short stories which are humorous and fast paced. They are perfect for elementary aged children and would make lovely bedtime stories. I enjoyed each tale immensely. The author reminds me of Roald Dahl.
586638
I love Roald Dahl. I always felt guilty reading this book because George essentially tortures and kills his grandmother, and I have two very nice grandmothers. But in all fairness, George's granny is a bitch.
134096
This is a funny book that was easy to read. I read it to my two year old and we loved the story and the illustrations. I can't wait to read the second and third book.
1352839
As far as children's books about no-nonsense British nannies and their raised-by-wolves charges go, this one was pretty enjoyable.  Cleverly written and quite funny in places, though as many other reviewers said, not many answers by the end of the story.  If you don't like to be left hanging, and you're not prepared to read the next in the series, you might be a bit frustrated, but it's a quick enough read and in my opinion, worth it.
3814836
My son loved Roald Dahl books in his younger years so he was interested in reading his biography.  He loved it.
1732296
I read The Fantastic Mr. Fox to my children when they were little and now I have just had the pleasure of reading this lovely story to my 6-year old granddaughter.  What a pleasure.  She enjoyed it just as much as my own kids did, and it is still fun for me to read it over and over again.  It is my favorite Roald Dahl book--and that is saying something!
2758260
Very friendly and funny, with an excellent rhyming rhythm.
My six year old just loved it! I recommend it as a quick, easy read.
1730389
I have read this book so many times I can't even count. Roald Dahl does an excellent job composing the character and plot. A must have book for all kids!