This is such an adorably cozy read. For starters, the illustrations are so so pretty. There is nonbinary rep, wholesome romance, cozy adventure, mystery, and much more! You couldn’t ask for more with this one!

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TL;DR - Cute and Cozy. I'd recommend this for younger readers (I don't think older readers would get a ton out of this).

The Baker and the Bard is a very sweet and cozy little graphic novel about two friends going on an adventure for some mushrooms and making more friends on the way.

Hadley is a bard who dreams of adventures so that they can write fun music. Juniper meanwhile, enjoys baking and providing for her community. The two go on a journey to pick mushrooms for a large and very rewarding order at the bakery that Juniper works at.

The story is very simple, and very cozy. There is very low stakes and the moral of the story is about being aware of everyone around you, including the animals and plants.

There are a few moments of Hadley expressing their gender, which was sweet though somewhat abrupt in the story? It was so abrupt it almost felt shoehorned in, and that’s from someone who enjoys and encourages these discussions. Otherwise I enjoyed this. It wasn’t anything that blew my mind, but it was cute and cozy and I think a lot of kids would enjoy it.

3 out of 5 Mushroom Fairy dresses (I loved that dress)

this was cute, and i understand that it is a middle grade/YA narrative, but this story felt like a whole lot of exposition and not a ton of action. when you're working with a high fantasy realm and a quest or journey, there is so much room to develop dialogue-free scenes that still demonstrate action. the transitionary pages zooming out on the scene showed really beautiful illustrations, but it would have been just as effective to pepper in some elements that contribute to the plot (i.e. actually showing the caterpillars eating the crops as opposed to just saying they were the ones doing it). i know this is a debut and i expect big things as the author grows, this was just a bit unrefined for my taste.

This book was so cute and cozy!! My favorite part was probably the illustrations. I loved them so much! They were expressive and beautiful. I also loved all the characters, they really captured my heart in the short timespan of the book My favorite was probably Thistle!

I also really appreciated Hadley and Thistle’s conversation about non-binary identity. As a trans person, those conversations are so important. While casual rep is great, books that specifically talk about queerness might be my favorite!


I did think the book was pretty short, and I would’ve loved it to be longer. I also thought the plot was a little too simple and the conflict too easily resolved, even for a cozy fantasy. I would’ve appreciated a little more struggle to make the final resolution more rewarding. But overall, I enjoyed the book, and I’d recommend it!

Short, sweet, and colorful! I loved the fantasy elements, the small adventure, and the easy way you can get attached to the characters. I did kind-of wish it was longer though, to flesh out the characters and world even more, as it felt like a nice graphic novel that could be more immersive the way say Bookshops & Bonedust are as novels

Thanks very much to Netgalley and Edelweiss+ for the digital ARCs

This was a sweet cozy fantasy with some little romance, perfect to spend your evening to read!
The art is soo cute, and i loved characters' designers a lot.
In my opinion, the scene of gender discussion was a out of nowhere, but I still enjoy seeing it.
Can't wait to see more stories from this author!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

A cute little adventure with magic and nice drawings. One of those books to pick up if you want a quick read.

A cozy fantasy with a little romance and adventure throughout. A good message throughout. The illustrations go beautifully with the story. Even without too many words there is good character development.

3.5 stars - This was really sweet! The Baker and the Bard is the perfect cozy fantasy graphic novel to curl up with and escape into for an hour. The plot is very simple and low-stakes: Juniper and Hadley work at a bakery and get sent on an errand to pick up a specific kind of mushrooms for a special order. Along the way, they stumble on a mystery about a town whose crops have been disappearing. There's not a lot of tension: the characters find solutions to their problems pretty quickly and easily. I will say I felt like we skipped the exposition because I wanted a bit more context to Juniper and Hadley's friendship since they have a romantic connection that develops later in the book, and I had some questions about the magical world which serves as a beautiful backdrop for the story. From the bakery to the town to the forest, the illustrations were adorable and the colors were gorgeous. I would highly recommend this if you like low-stakes cozy fantasy such as The Tea Dragon Society and Legends and Lattes! This book is Fern Haught's debut, and I would love to read more from them in the future.

Juniper and Hadley are happy with their lives in Larkspur. They work at the local bakery, and perform at the inn on their nights off. When the owner of the bakery needs them to go on a journey to get a unique ingredient for a large order, they decide to add a little adventure to their lives.

During their journey, they come across an unusual mystery and decide to investigate. Some sort of creature has been eating farmer’s crops at night. Excited to have a new story to sing about, Hadley drags Juniper into the mystery. What was originally a quest for mushrooms now has turned into an adventure saving their new forest friends.

Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught to review! Cozy fantasy graphic novels have been on the rise, and this book definitely fits the bill.

This graphic novel is short but sweet, featuring an adorable little adventure to find mushrooms. Haught has crafted a cast of diverse characters, and I absolutely loved the baking elements thrown in. There’s a recipe included at the end, inspired by the pastries with the glowing mushrooms. And it sounded delightful!

I would have perhaps liked a little bit more world-building, but I could definitely see this possibly becoming its own little series. The mystery about the creatures eating the crops was a low-stakes quest, and I did appreciate how the resolution presented more details about the world itself. But I’d be interested in learning more!

All in all, if you love things like Legends & Lattes and The Tea Dragon Society, definitely pick up this little graphic novel when it comes out in March!

This was an adorable and quick read. The story was unique and the characters were so loveable. I would absolutely read a sequel to this charming graphic novel.

*I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

This book was not particularly memorable - but was cute. The art is the strong point - with distinctive character designs and soft colors, it was fun to look at even on an e-reader, which is typically difficult for graphic novels in my opinion.

The story is a little slow, and it is perhaps meant for an audience younger than me who may enjoy it more. But it was quite cute and sweet. Good for fans of cozy fantasy.

The art was beautiful and the story was simple. As an adult, the “does your culture have gender?” part of the story felt forced, but I recognize that stories for children sometimes need to be more direct in their messaging. I want more LGBTQA+ representation in children’s books, especially in simple format that engages the reader, like a fantasy graphic novel.

Cozy fantasy is the exact right way to describe this graphic novel adventure. Both the art and storyline are perfectly sweet and cozy and the pastel colors suit the novel very well. I liked getting to peek into this fantasy world, but I did feel like the story was a little too brief. I wanted to learn more about this world, I wanted the elements of sustainability and environmentalism to be more developed, and I felt like a discussion of gender identity was good, but seemed a little shoehorned in. If the story was just a little longer, then more time could be given to all of that. But a little light romance and some lovely visuals almost makes up for it.

This book is the epitome of cozy fantasy. It’s a very low-stakes story filled with baked goods and pastel art. The panels are pleasing and soft, and the scenes with the bugs are true highlights of the work. The characters are distinctive, though I wish they’d been further fleshed out. Overall, this is a lovely comforting read that appeals to readers of many ages.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review

A cozy, low-stakes, mystery with an abundance of friendship. Juniper and Hadley are given the task to find a special type of mushroom for the bakery. Along the way, they discover that the nearby village is having trouble with their crops -- they're getting eaten! Hadley is yearning for an adventure, so they convince Juniper to help these townspeople figure out what's going on.

I loved Fern Haught's style of drawing. It's soft and fun, and it works so well for this story.
You can tell that representation is very important to the author; I hope that the inclusion of non-binary characters and overall acceptance for oneself hits home for other readers.

Not sure why, but somehow, those caterpillars were one of my favorite things about this! How are giant insects so cute?!

The Baker and The Bard was an adorable story of two friends* going on a little quest to find ingredients for the bakery they work at, and helping others along the way.

The art style of this graphic novel was exquisite, full of personality and color, and absolutely cute. I adored the character and town designs, the atmosphere, the use of color, it was all so calming and friendly.

I wish there had been more interpersonal conflict, or internal conflict within the story. Everything felt too easy, resolved too quickly, the characters were too agreeable. I wish there had been more conversation about what was happening, rather than fast and easy acceptance. It felt like the characters never had to overcome anything, they just showed up, didn’t even talk that much, and the good vibes saved the day.

Having worked directly with the age group this story is aimed at, both they and I would appreciate a story they can sink their teeth into more. Not a lot more, but enough to get their brains moving, to think of the world of the story more fully, and see it reflect their lives more accurately. These kids do get into conflict, go on adventures, enjoy the fantastical and wonderful. A story like this would be so good for them, except that everything resolves without much effort.

With this piece being the author’s only *soon to be* published work, I’m hoping to see more of this world and characters from them in the future to flesh everything out. This was an okay base to start with, but I want to see the growth and development of everything here going forward.

*Spoilers*
More than friends, but I don’t want to give anything away.

Also, the recipe at the end? So stinking cute, loved the illustration and its inclusion.

The Baker and the Bard is a wonderful fantasy adventure perfect for fans of The Tea Dragon Society! Readers of all ages will love following along as Juniper and Hadley go on a fun and fulfilling quest!

This was a VERY QUICK read. At around 160 pages I was surprised to get through it in about 30 minutes. I really liked the idea of the story in this one, and the art is beautiful, but it felt unfinished. I wanted MORE- more actual story, more character development, just more! This one says it's aimed at teens, but it felt a bit juvenile for that age group.

Those complaints aside, I really did enjoy this one. It was a cute, feel good story with queer rep in a fantasy setting- what's not to love.

Juniper and Hadley have a good thing going apprenticing at a bakery and performing at a local inn. When a customer places an order that requires a special ingredient, they go on a journey to forage this magical ingredient. Along the way, the stumble upon a mystery they couldn't ignore.

I've been in a graphic novel reading mood recently, and this was a cozy read. Its got adventure and subtle romance between Juniper and Hadley. I also like the art style, simple and eye-catching. It's giving fantasy vibes.