This was super cute. I really liked the art. The story was fun and whimsical. All the characters were super lovable and adorable. Definitely would recommend to cozy fantasy fans!

The Baker and the Bard was such a sweet graphic novel about discovering one's self and passion. It was a light adventure novel with amazing cozy vibes, which the art style did a great job emphasizing. The characters were an amazing balance to each other and helped progress each other.

A sweet and fluffy adventure, short and fast paced. Full of laughter and joy. Soft and sweet characters, stunning illustrations.

One of my favorite art styles! Loved this so much it was a cozy, fun , and beautiful tale! A quick read and I love that a Recipe was included at the end! Unique characters that I would enjoy seeing on another adventure! Highly recommend!

This is a fun, adventurous yet cozy fantasy about a baker and bard who set off on a journey to find rare ingredients for a special bakery order. The Baker & the Bard gives the same vibes and energy as The Tea Dragon Society series and really any of K. O'Neill's work. It's beautifully queer and heartwarming. The illustrations are delicate with a soft color palette and rounded edges.

A small wish I have for this book is that I wish the plot would have dove a bit deeper into our character's adventure. Having such a simplistic plot made it feel like it was jumping around at times, and I just really wanted to spend more time with the characters and their friends.

This title definitely reads younger and would be suitable for middle school readers.

A very cute and cozy children's fantasy graphic novel! This has a baker and a bard (with a cute little snake) end up on an adventure.

The artwork was great, and this is a bit simpler of a story, but for the audience it's intended for - this would be a very fun "first fantasy/rpg inspired book" for young readers!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends for making this ARC accessible!

This was a very cute and a very tender story! 4.5
The artwork and the main story line really caught my attention and heart the most!! Loved the ending bit where an actual recipe was illustrated and included- lovely touch. I enjoyed the character design additions in the back too.

My only issue was it felt disjointed somehow and felt like the author was fitting a whole bunch of story pieces into one graphic novel with a few loose ends or slightly off pacing parts that i had a hard time following all the way.

Lovely, gorgeous artwork and loved the characters so much tho!!

This book was so much fun! Sweet, thoughtful, and beautiful, The Baker and the Bard was comforting in a way I didn’t even know I needed. Although relatively short, I felt like I deeply connected with Juniper, Hadley, and this entire world—a fantasy world with a feeling of such normalcy that I immediately was sucked into it. The characters were truly lovely; in particular, Juniper and Hadley’s interactions felt so realistic, and their friendship consistently made me smile. I also loved the queer/nonbinary characters, whose acceptance in this world fit so well and made me think of A Psalm for the Wild-Built.

​The illustrations were bright and fun, and helped make this book a quick read while moving at a relaxing, leisurely pace. I particularly loved the frequent full-page illustrations, which contributed such a sense of place and atmosphere to the story. Although often relatively simple, they were perfectly expressive, and the primarily pastel color palette helped maintain the quiet, open mood of the story. If you love graphic novels or just feel-good reads, this is definitely a book I'd highly recommend!

A young baker sets off to find a special ingredient but finds a village facing devastation from caterpillars. This is a sweet, simplistic story of friendship and environment. It would best fit upper elementary and young middle school readers.

A cute story about a baker and a bard going out to get supplies but find a larger adventure along the way. The storyline is very simple and cozy without a lot of angst. The art style reminds me of watercolors and it fits with the cozy vibes of the story. I like that the fantasy world of the story is queer normative with a variety of creatures. It seems like the book may be geared towards younger YA audiences.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Juniper and Hadley set out on an adventure to gather glowing mushrooms to make a special pastry for the bakery. Along the way they find out huge creatures are destroying crops of a nearby village so adventurous character, Hadley, decides they MUST investigate! They set out on their side quest and find the source of the problem. Huge caterpillars are eating the crops and they meet a Fey named Thistle who is the caretaker of the fuzzy creatures.

Juniper and Hadley find out that the Fey and the caterpillars had no choice to eat the crops because the villagers cleared away their environment. After meeting with the villagers and the Mayor they find a solution. Thistle rewards them by guiding them to the glowing mushrooms!

This gender friendly queer-friendly cozy fantasy book will leave you with ooos and awwws throughout with its warm colors, yummy illustrations, and overall whimsy! Although a short story, it leaves you with a sense of closure and a warm feeling of reading a good story.

Such a cute read for younger readers looking for a cozy fantasy. I would put it up there with the Tea Dragon Society and Mel the Chosen.

For kids looking for some LGBTQ content and role models, this would be a great recommendation.

Beautifully illustrated book, but I felt like the story was lacking. I think I would have preferred to just see them on the adventure for the mushrooms and had a more fleshed out story with that adventure.

this was such a sweet graphic novel! the art style is so beautiful and the story itself was so wholesome. the characters are going on an adventure to find an ingredient for an order at their bakery and they make a new friend along the way.

i do wish the story was a bit more fleshed out because it didn’t feel fully developed, i feel like it would’ve benefitted from being a bit longer. some of the dialogue also felt a little disjointed from the main story, i wish it felt more seamless.

overall, this was a sweet graphic novel with stunning illustrations and i would recommend it if you’re looking for a quick cozy fantasy read!

thank you to netgalley and macmillan children’s for the arc in exchange for an honest review! 🤍

An adventure and a yummy treat, it truly is the best of both worlds!

Fern Haught’s debut graphic novel, The Baker and the Bard, is a whimsy tale of identity and friendship. Following baker’s apprentice Juniper, aspiring bard Hadley, and Hadley’s adorable pet snake, Fern, The Baker and the Bard is great for children to learn about environmental stewardship and the importance of listening to people who are different from you.

To begin, the simple but whimsical drawings from Haught are sure to entice a young reader, whether they are exploring the graphic novel medium for the first time or a graphic novel devotee. Haught’s art beautifully showcases the many different creatures in the fantastical world they have created. Even little Fern (the snake) has interesting style and a personality evident in the art.

In addition, the lessons within the graphic novel are well-woven throughout, in a way which may seem obvious to an environmentally-conscious adult, but perfect for kids who are curious about our impact on nature and the differences between how people view themselves and their place in the world. Both Hadley and Juniper have a lot to learn, and not just in the fields of music and baking, respectively.

Finally, I’m in love with any book which includes a recipe, and this book is no exception. While I won’t spoil what the recipe is, it is certainly one I may have to try in the near future. As someone who loved learning how to cook as a kid, I believe the inclusion of a recipe that the characters bake in the story will help kids get excited about attempting to cook the recipe and maybe even try some new foods while they’re at it.

The only thing I was wishing for a bit more of in The Baker and the Bard is a bit more description of who the characters are before the events of the story take place and the world around them. We do get a glimpse at a few towns in Haught’s world, and it is obvious Hadley and Juniper do grow as people during the narrative, but I think getting to hear a bit more of the characters’ journeys up to that point and more of their flaws could have made the lessons just that more powerful. Of course, some of these details may be shown more in later installments of Hadley and Juniper’s story, but they would have been nice to establish in the beginning.

The Baker and the Bard will be released on March 5, 2024, and can be found on Amazon and Macmillan Publishers.

I want to thank Macmillan Children's Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of The Baker and the Bard in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. To me, this was almost a combination of and would be perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and The Tea Dragon Society series. I thought the art was as equality as charming as the characters in this cozy fantasy adventure.

If you enjoy graphic novels such as The Tea Dragon Society and others that are similar, you will probably want to pick up this one. It's exactly as described, a cozy fantasy adventure, and so wholesome and wonderful. I loved Juniper and Hadley's little adventure and their misadventures, especially Hadley's enthusiasm throughout. They played really well off of each other and were wonderful companions. The art style is whimsical and a joy to read, suiting the cozy world and characters that Fern Haught created. I'll definitely be looking for more of their work in the future.

so cute, so cozy!! bugs, mushrooms, bread!! music and adventure!!

comparisons to the tea dragon society series are apt. i adore sweet, short, comforting reads like these. and in the case of this book, every detail is absolutely adorable, including the super queer character designs, the caterpillar-dappled endpapers, the cozy forest landscapes, and the recipe for mushroom galette at the end of the book!! truly a delight.

the big beautiful moths are my favorite. riding on one of those gentle and majestic creatures? what a dream!

i wouldn't have minded a longer story to get to know the characters better. but i think the brevity is fitting for a simple fable like this one. and perhaps a sequel will follow?

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Juniper works hard at a bakery and spends her friend time with Hadley, a local bard. When a mysterious customer requests a large order of gillettes made with magical mushrooms, Hadley suggests they go on a quest to find the mushrooms. What follows is a short and sweet adventure with a focus on friendship and understanding. Hadley and Juniper are sidetracked by a mystery in a nearby village - crops are being destroyed by a large creature at night. Working together, they discover who has been eating the crops, and with a new friend are able to solve the problem to everyone's benefit. This is a light-hearted, sweet fantasy for fans of The Tea Dragon Society or Legends and Lattes.

3/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Fern Haught for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was a quick and easy read about a baker and bard duo going on an adventure for the baker's shop. It is a cute and fun story to read. As someone who has never really read manga this was a fun read to start with. Especially with it being cozy fantasy.

There are LGBT+ aspects mentioned in this story, as one of the main characters identifies as nonbinary. So if that is something you are looking for, it is in this book.