Won't drink bedtime milk for books!

[likessleep]

My 12 month old DS has always drank a lot of milk at bedtime (about 9oz). However, recently he has taken a lot more interest in his books and now has tantrums when we try to give him his milk and don't read to him immediately (ideally, we'd like him to have his milk, then read to him). He just will not drink his milk (we have tried reading to him prior to his milk, without success).
We have recently switched to cows milk and also from bottle to beaker. Maybe he isn't getting the same comfort from the beaker?
He does drink about half an ounce to an ounce before he starts demanding a book and refusing his milk.
Curiously, when we turn out the light to put him in his cot (after an ounce of milk and his book read), he then wants his milk (almost as though he knows its then or never). I thought 12 month olds weren't sophisticated enough to be manipulative (I hate that word, but it just feels like we are being 'played').
Any hints/tips would be really helpful. He is also starting to not drink his morning milk either and I am starting to think he may not be having enough milk.
I would be grateful for any advice or suggestions.
Thanks

I would just let him have the milk while he has the book.

We've tried that and I am totally happy to do that, but he won't drink his milk if there is a book there. He pushes it out of the way to get to his book. I don't mind whatever, as long as we start getting a bit more milk down him.

We were having this problem. DD would push milk away shouting books! books! and pointing at them. As with yours, once storytime was over & in cot, she would struggle to settle and would end up crying for milk. We ended up moving milk to before bathtime during an episode of Charlie & Lola. This also solved our worry of teeth cleaning. Now has a couple of books, a cuddle then into bed with the option of water if she needs a drink.

Thanks nct. We've had a better day today, he drank about 5-6oz before his book this evening. I also gave him his milk in bed this morning, before going downstairs for breakfast (I think he was refusing milk in morning in the high chair as he knew Ready Brek was on its way!)
That is a really good idea to do before the bath. It would mean milk at 6 rather than half past, but hopefully he won't start waking earlier in morning
We'll see how things go, but this is definitely one to try.
Thanks for responding.

We moved from milk at 6.45pm after bath to 6/6.15pm with no problems of earlier waking. We do the morning bottle on the sofa with breakfast news & a cup of tea for me then into the kitchen for cereal.

That's reassuring! Its our anniversary today, so in the interests of having a quiet meal with my husband this evening (just in case!), we will start trying meal before bath tomorrow evening.
It is a good idea about teeth too (our son still doesn't have any, so we've been a bit lax on that front, although we do brush his gums )

we do exactly the same as NCT - bath at 6.15, milk at 6.45 with me (and Charlie and Lola or Night Garden) stories with daddy upstairs aftrwards and goes to bed at 7.30pm.

Morning milk she drinks in bed with us at 7am.

oh not quite the same, sorry I read that wrongly, but close!