The Baker and the Bard is such a gorgeous and sweet little graphic novel. The story - two friends who might be something more - going on an adventure to find mushrooms and accidentally solving an ecological crisis - is lovely and gentle, while still being creative. And the Dungeons-and-Dragons-esque flair of it all meant that the world was immediately absorbing.

Basically, this is a great book for anyone who loved Legends and Lattes but wanted more pictures and possibly even more fluff. While it's occasionally just a little too sweet, this book is a quick read that feels like a warm hug!

4.25/5

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

- This is such a cute and quick cozy fantasy graphic novel!
- I loved the nonbinary rep, and I wish I had had this book in my classroom library for my trans students! I can think of multiple kids I taught who would've devoured this book.
- The magical creatures in this one were so fun! I want more about them in the future!
- The plot definitely takes a back seat to the vibes, but the vibes were so good that it didn't bother me. If you're looking for something more plot-heavy, I would recommend skipping this one!

perfect for people who liked Legends and Lattes duology. loved the art and colors used! shows that even the simple act of going to get supplies can be an adventure.

This was cute! It has similar vibes to The Tea Dragon Society and Legends & Lattes. The story is short and easy to follow, so I think this book would work well for all ages. The art is whimsical and colorful. The focus on bugs, nature, and baking gave me Studio Ghibli feels. There's queer characters, including a nonbinary main character, and the whole world seems welcoming to all.

This is a sweet story about the friendship, and maybe more, between a young baker and a young bard. The friends are sent on a quest for a baking ingredient and along the way help to ensure the continued prosperity of a group of magical butterflies.
The art style sells this story. It is the perfect amount of whimsical and beautiful without being too distracting. Everything is soft and inviting, bringing to mind the Tea Dragon graphic novels.
The story itself is basic but heartfelt. There is no subtlety in the morals of the story that the author is telling, but the sentiments are beautifully expressed and accepted in this world.
I would definitely recommend this to younger graphic novel readers, especially ones who want some light magic with their afternoon snack.

This graphic novel reminds me a lot of The Tea Dragon Society books by Kay O'Neil which I love, so this book was right up my alley. I loved the artwork throughout this book, it was such a pretty color palette too! The story was interesting and the cast of characters was a nice variety. If you're looking for a cute fantasy graphic novel then I would check this one out!

I know this is listed as a "cozy fantasy," but I found it almost TOO cozy, bordering on syrupy-sweet. Though I enjoyed the quest aspect of the story, everyone was just too nice, and too cooperative. The plot really could have used some conflict.

Then again, who doesn't want to ride a butterfly?

Absolutely loved this one! Haught creates a beautiful storyline of friendship and adventure! The artwork and detail is beautiful, and the color work is meticulous.

This book was very sweet and cute. The art style is simple but makes great use of color, especially in the full page landscape illustrations. If you like cozy fantasy, dungeons and dragons adventures, or stories where basically everyone is either a woman or non-binary, then this is a great book for you.

This is about June and Hadley who live in Larkspur. June is a baker and Hadley is a hard. One day, an interesting customer comes to the bakery where June works and places an order that requires a very specific ingredient, glowing oyster mushrooms. June and Hadley decide to go find them and take a break in a village with a market where they learn that some have missing vegetables. They don’t know who or what is taking them, just a glowing residue is left behind. Hadley decides they need to help which sets them off on an adventure to find who or what is taking those vegetables, as well as find the glowing oyster mushrooms that they still need.

I’ve not read many graphic novels and so I was excited to read this one! I have always wanted my own bakery, and so that’s mainly why I picked this up is because of the baker, but I feel like the bard stole the show 😆

This was too cute and too funny! Hadley is just a hoot! Hadley was so funny just wanting an adventure and June was a bit more put together. Their dynamic was very sweet and it became a friends to lovers romance.

There’s new friends and almost like a found family in here.

The art is exquisite! Very whimsical and fantastical! The world itself was a very whimsical fantasy world and the art showed it along with the different beings in here.

I love the focus on the environment and animals/creatures that live locally to share. It made me very happy 🥰

Overall, a very sweet and cozy fantasy read. I just wish it were a bit longer!

I received a gifted copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Author-artist Fern Haught weaves an enchanting, gentle fantasy tale of friendship, determination, and respecting nature in their debut graphic novel.

📖: The Baker & The Bard
🖋️: Fern Haught
⭐️: 5 of 5
🗓️:4/5/24
📚: YA graphic novel
💬: “You should always be yourself.”

Tropes & Themes:
🐛Queer found family
🦋Non-binary MC
🍄Baking Montages
🐍Chaotic BFFs
🍞Adventures and quests
🧈Giant fey caterpillars
🌳Cozy Fantasy

Best friends Juniper and Hadley spend a lot of their time apprenticing at a bakery and performing at the local inn.

“If I’m ever going to be a better hard, I need some adventurous material!”

While Hadley would like more fun in his life, Juniper wishes to own a bakery someday.

“I’d like 100 of these for a little party I’m throwing for this weekend.”

Juniper, Hadley, and Fern go on an adventure to get a special ingredient.

On their journey, they discover something awful is happening to the farmer’s crops.

Will these two be able to find the special ingredient? Or will solving a mystery distract them from the task?

Find out in The Baker & The Bard

This book is perfect to read along with kids, to enjoy yourself, or you can even use it for homeschooling. My kids and I truly enjoyed this book and the beautiful art. The kids voted that the caterpillars were their favorite!

I loved how the story took us on an adventure with a little mystery. The lessons were perfect and the book was wonderful for us to read for homeschooling. Some of those lessons are:

✨It’s Important to just be yourself
✨You don’t have to put a label on who you are and what you like
✨Being responsible and the importance of completing a task

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy. As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts.

I had the pleasure of getting an e-ARC for this delightful cozy fantasy Graphic Novel.

This was a sweet, and beautiful, story with an underlying message to protect nature and those creatures in it, specifically those who cannot protect themselves.
The characters were truly lovely; in particular, Juniper and Hadley had a special friendship, thought I think both could have used more development.

The illustrations were pretty, bright and fun and made me quickly fall inside the story. The storyline was simple, and the plot moved fairy quick with an overall easy resolution to the problems they faced. Overall this is a good debut for the author.

Cozy Fantasy, Baking, Magic & stunning artwork?? Say less! 100% sold!

This was so darn cute!!! From the absolutely gorgeous artwork to the whimsical storyline, I loved everything about this graphic novel! The Baker and the Bard is such a heartwarming tale of friendship, found family, adventure, gender expression, environmental conservation, love and being true to yourself!

🥖 Baking
🗺️ Adventure
🐛 Fae Bugs
🫶 Found Family
✨ Cozy Fantasy
🖼️ Graphic Novel
🎨 Amazing Artwork
🍄 Mushroom Quest
🪈 Bard

This has instantly become one of my favorite cozy fantasy graphic novels and I look forward to reading more of Fern Haught’s work in the future!

Thank you Feiwel & Friends for the gifted copy!

I was initially drawn to this book because it was marketed as being perfect for fans of The Tea Dragon Society, Legends & Lattes, and Animal Crossing and it did not disappoint!

This graphic novel follows the journey of Juniper and Hadley as they embark on an adventure to forage mushrooms for a large order of pastries. This simple mission turns into a whimsical adventure taking them through the woods in order to help Thistle, a little fey in need of help.

This graphic novel was short, cute, and very cozy! With all of the story problems being quite low stakes, I would absolutely categorize this as a cozy fantasy and perfect for fans of any of the aforementioned media above. I cannot wait to pick up a copy of this for my personal library!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A recipe in the back?! An adorable adventure. Baking, wholesome vibes. What more could you want!
I thought this was a sweet fast paced graphic novel perfect for a cosy fantasy lover.

This was a really sweet, cozy read.
I thought the soft color palette and the illustrations were wonderful.
I think overall it was just missing some depth. Everything felt very surface level and some conversations between characters felt forced or out of place.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Absolutely perfect for readers who love the Tea Dragon Society! The inclusive cast, beautifully told story, and wonderful art all feel like a soft hug. Graphic novels like The Baker and the Bard remain some of my absolute favorites!

The Baker and the Brad is a debut graphic novel from Fern Haught. It is a story of June the Baker and Hadley the Bard as they go on a quest that should be simple, but gets a little more interesting once they reach the woods. There is magic and wonder, friendship and authenticity.

This cozy little fantasy adventure was a short sweet read. The illustrations were done in a lovely palette. My only critique would be that the drastic contrast between the softness of the illustrations and the harshness of the speech bubbles was a bit distracting. The story itself was a gentle adventure in finding oneself. It is the perfect introduction to any kid who enjoys RPGs and graphic novels. It was adorable and the non-binary representation is much needed in books today. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy through NetGally. It does not affect my review in any way.

This is a story of two friends - one a baker and one a bard - who have an adventure together when they go to find some mushrooms for some pastries.

It was super adorable and I loved the non-binary representation. While it was adorable, it was quite young. The humor was amusing, but this didn't say a whole lot. The art is lovely and it made me feel like I was in a cozy dnd game. Super cute!

Like a warm hug.

3.5 stars

The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught is the author’s debut graphic novel. this story follows June (the baker) and Hadley (the bard) as they go on a quest into the woods for a special ingredient. their adventure is filled with magic, creatures, music, and baking and it truly lives up to the cozy fantasy name.

What I Loved:
—lovely art style that gives me the warm fuzzies! very reminiscent of The Tea Dragon Society
—the images that took up the whole page and had no text were just stunning; so well done!
—non-binary representation!

What I Didn’t Love:
—everything this book did well, it did on a very basic level. it’s super similar to The Tea Dragon Society, except The Tea Dragon Society is more complex and fleshed out on every level. all in all, I would definitely recommend the The Tea Dragon Society over this because while this book is cute, it's nothing to rave about. The Baker and the Bard would be better classified as middle grade rather than young adult because everything was truly so basic, and I would be writing a different review if it was better classified.
—the text/font could’ve been better incorporated into the panels and images themselves. since the color palette for this graphic novel was so soft, the black text on white text bubbles created too much contrast. changing the color of the background (even to a more off white) or changing the color of the black text (even to a shade of grey) would’ve made a big difference!

overall, a really cute story, but I would love to see a story with a little more creativity and ~umpf~ from Fern Haught in the future!

{I received an advanced review copy from Fiewel & Friends through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review}