The Baker and the Bard is a cute cozy graphic novel for kids. What seems like it could be a scary adventure turns into making friends and delicious galettes. This book comes complete with a recipe kids can make with their parents for a delicious cozy meal.

Juniper is a baker's apprentice while Hadley is a performing bard. Both go on a quest to get rare magic mushrooms for a special dish. Along the way, however, Hadley spots a mystery that smells of adventure. What magical creatures are eating a distant village's crops, and why? Juniper points out they don't have a lot of time to investigate the mystery while agreeing it is weird. But she can't say no to Hadley, and maybe they can figure out where those mushrooms grow.

This book is so darn relaxing. I could linger on the gorgeous art for hours at a time. Hadley is a singing ball of energy to go with Juniper's calm approach to life. Part of me is wondering if the commissioned dish can be recreated with normal ingredients, but probably not.

We follow Juniper, the baker, and Hadley, the bard, on a errand that turns into a journey of solving a mystery and making new friends along the way. It all comes together to make for a sweet and cozy bed time story. As the cover proclaims, it certainly is a "cosy fantasy adventure." Although this is labeled young adult, I think it will find a more fitting audience with middle grade readers. The conflict resolution is a bit simplistic for teens. I like that there is a recipe included at the end for readers and their families to make their own delicious mushroom galette.

"The Baker and the Bard" is a precious little story about a baker and a bard going on a quest to find some glowing mushrooms for a big order from the bakery. Along the way, they stumble on a mystery of something huge eating a neighboring town’s crops. They decide to solve the mystery, going into the woods in search of the culprit. In doing so, they help those around them, grow a bit themselves, and return home in triumph. This is all around delightful and is sure to be happily devoured by fans of K. O'Neill, Lorena Alvarez Gomez, Rii Abrego, and the like. Highly recommended for all collections.

Cute art but way too simple storyline. Loved the non binary rep. But overall i wouldn't really classify it as YA, more like middle grade maybe.

I forgot to leave a review when I first read it. Cute but not really memorable or special. The art was fine.

Two friends set out on an adventure in this cozy DND-esque fantasy all about friendship and baking. But their simple adventure to go pick some magical mushrooms soon turns into a quest to solve a mystery. Something has been coming out of the woods at night to eat the farmers crops. Is it really some kind of wild beast, though? Or will Juniper and Hadley make some fuzzy new friends and solve two problems at once?

This was a sweet graphic novel great for fans of cozy MG graphic novels like the Tea Dragon Society and Garlic and the Vampire.

The Baker and the Bard by Alanna O'Neill is an entertaining blend of romance, magic, and adventure. The story is about a baker and a poet who find their destinies entangled through an unexpected and enchanting connection. The writing is is lyrical and evocative, capturing the charm of both the characters and their world. The Baker and the Bard is a sweet and satisfying read for fans of fantasy and romance.

This was an adorable cozy little book. Fern Haught did a great job world building. Perfect fall read!

This book is so lovely, it has a diverse range of characters and a cozy storyline that makes it a wonderful book to read for all ages. I can't wait to check out more books by Fern!

The artwork is cute, but the story is very low-stakes and felt a little blah at times. I do think it would be a good recommendation for younger teens/tweens looking for a story with a fantasy setting.

I absolutely adored the artwork in this graphic novel and the whimsical feel yet important messages that were woven throughout. Immediately put on my order list after reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced readers copy of the Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught.

What a wonderful light hearted tale! A book about a Baker and a Bard going on an adventure to find mushrooms and meeting friends along the way!
This story has the perfect amount of adventure mixed with wholesomeness. The dialogue was a bit cheesy at times, but it got the point across. This adventure also has LGTBQ+ rep, which is a very nice touch to the story. Our character Hadley (AKA the Bard) is non binary and it is nice to have that representation in this story. I think many people, young and older, will love a character like Hadley not just because of the representation they bring but also because of their sense of humor and personality.
Overall if you want a cozy fantasy book, this one's for you!

A Wildly adorable and wholesome graphic novel that quickly stole my heart and I became eager to add to my permenant collection@

A simply delightful graphic novel!

Hadley and Juniper are going on an adventure! They have to travel to find a special ingredient for a large order of pastries before it is too late. But during their journey they discover the townsfolk have been complaining about something eating their crops which is affecting their livelihood. Wanting to lend a helping hand, Hadley and Juniper start a side quest to find what's responsible, and what they find is much different then what they imagined.

With warm, soft illustrations and adorable characters that will make you laugh out loud and bring a smile to your face, The Baker and The Bard is a simply delightful graphic novel you'll want to read again and again!

This was such a cute story! And I love the art style!I really enjoy cozy fantasy stories and this one just hit the spot! Thank you for the opportunity to read this early! I will be watching for more from this author!

This story was adorable! I loved the illustrations so much! It felt like a warm hug! I enjoyed the coziness, the characters. Start to finish it was sweet and fun!

I really enjoyed the world-building in The Baker and the Bard. The giant caterpillars and quiant forest adventure could have been really fun. I also really appreciate the nonbinary rep in the story. The characters were visually cute enough, but unfortunately, they were very bland where personality is concerned. The story also has no stakes whatsoever, so it just kinda floats along and then ends. Cute idea, but it's really forgettable.

While the artwork was absolutely lovely, the story fell short for me. I wanted to know more about the world, and to have some background of the characters that would make the budding romance feel real. For me this was YA that read like a kid's book. I think there's a lot of potential for Haught to produce something magical, I just feel they they aren't quite there yet.

I enjoyed the cozy feel of this and the art. The straightforward nonbinary conversation felt very shoehorned in and could have gone with a more subtle approach. Just the pronoun usage alone seemed like plenty (I say this as a nonbinary person).