Thank you net galley for this arc. This graphic novel is an adorable queer story about a bakery and fey. The relationships between the characters weren’t flushed out though and there really wasn’t any conflict to the story. It’s a quick and easy thought for someone looking for something cozy and sweet.

Very cute and cozy aesthetic. I really love YA books that focus on friendship and I find myself recommending them out a lot. I think this fills a great little spot for our teen readers.

This was a charming graphic novel. The illustration style was really beautiful. You started to get a sense of these characters and by the end of the book but I wish there friendship went a bit more in depth. I also wish the story went a tad bit deeper emotionally. It is extremely light hearted and again, for that a simple graphic novel it was good but I think it had the potential to be a bit longer a bit more well rounded. They two main characters are going on this adventure but the adventure felt like it could have just gone a bit farther. It was all too quick.

The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught is a middle grade-YA cozy fantasy graphic novel. In some ways, it's a younger version of Legends & Lattes, although there are some major differences. First of all, I appreciate the adorable illustrations and think that they will be beneficial in drawing young readers through the story. I love the ways that the characters are unique and we can see glimpses into their personalities through both the illustrations and the dialogue. However, the story would be much better if certain parts were written just a little differently. Most notably, there is a discussion about gender that comes about relatively abruptly. I appreciate the way the conversation was handled, BUT I feel it would have been more fitting if gender had some role in the story prior to that conversation. I do love the way the author wrote the romance between the two main characters...it was very sweet and simple, which is perfect for the intended audience. Overall, I believe that the book is very cute and I would recommend it to young readers that enjoy graphic novels and/or are asking for "romance" books.

A sweet read excellent for introducing children to cozy fantasy, graphic novels, and nonbinary identities. While adult readers won’t get much out of it, children need books of their own to make other identities part of their world. We need more books like this to help shape a world where everyone is welcome.

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!

Imgur link goes to instagram graphic scheduled for Feb 29th
Blog link goes live Feb 27th

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