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.

4.25/5 baked goods

The Baker and the Bard is a sweet and simple adventure story about a baker and a bard going out to find a rare ingredient for a recipe.
This was so cute and cozy. It’s perfect for fans of Kiki’s Delivery Service — but with a more fantastical world. There was plenty of queer and nonbinary representation (two characters openly discuss being nonbinary and use they/them pronouns).
It was a quick read — I finished it in about half an hour. It makes a great middle-grade graphic novel for anyone who just wants a little pastel-colored adventure.
The illustration style was very simple, but it was cozy and comforting. The landscape and scenery was beautiful. The caterpillars and butterflies are some of my favorite creature designs I’ve ever seen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the ARC!

This was such a cute and wholesome story, with some magical elements to it, a cute romance and inclusion, which I loved. I really enjoyed the story and the art style, biggest thanks for sending this eARC my way!

The Baker and the Bard is a sweet, low-stakes, and simple graphic novel.

The art and color scheme is gorgeous and emit a sense of peace that enhances the cozy vibes of the story. The story itself is light and whimsical, wonderfully queer normative, with a touch of magic and an assortment of mythical creatures. Fern, the adorable snake companion, is a joy. Hadley is a goofy, possibly ADHD, non-binary dork and Juniper is soft and adorable.

This slice-of-life, cozy read unfortunately fell a bit flat for me, with no real depth or character development. If this was marketed for a bit younger audience, I would have rated this higher. As it is currently marketed as YA, I feel it is TOO simplistic and very surface level. Despite that, I enjoyed the read mainly for the lovely art and would recommend it to families with young children.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before publication.


The only complaint I have is that it ended too soon. When you feel that way after reading a book, you know it was a great story. The art is beautiful in its simplicity and chosen color palette. I loved that we have non-binary main characters, which is something that we’re seeing more of in books nowadays, thankfully. I can’t wait to put a copy in my classroom library. My kids have already blown through Heartstopper and are asking for other books.

The relationship between the two main characters was sweet, but I had no idea about Hadley’s crush until the fey said something. Then I could see it. It was refreshing for their relationship not to have a Disney princess send off like some books do. The author clearly knows their characters and how big or small those characters prefer to celebrate their authentic selves. Having positive representation of lgbtq love in graphic novels is something my students desperately need. Thank you!

The art style was lovely, but the plot and characters were so simplistic. Definitely should be a middle grade rather than YA.

A fantasy world graphic novel where two friends set off to find ingredients for a bakery and end up solving a bigger mystery. I liked the premise a lot here, as I love D&D inspired worlds/fantasy worlds. I think it was too simple though, even for YA (its label). I think if this was marketed more to middle grades, it would have more success.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for sending and allowing me to read this title. I was very surprised I enjoyed this e-arc as much as I did. This isn't my normal genre but I loved it. This was 4 stars, the art was amazing and I really recommend it.

A really cute and cozy graphic novel.

I really enjoyed that this story went in the direction of the main characters having to take an exciting adventure in order to find the mushrooms needed for their pastry, and that we even got a side quest that introduced more interesting and adorable characters to the story.

The mood and drawing style really reminded me of "The Tea Dragon Society" by Kay O'Neill, so if you enjoy her graphic novels, I can guarantee that you will enjoy this one.

My only complaint was the mention of gender in the book. I felt if the author just let the characters show their gender and sexuality preference by their actions alone or have been mentioning the topic of gender throughout the book and not mention the characters gender out of nowhere in a middle of story it wouldn't have felt forced. I felt like the author really wanted to mention gender but didn't know how to organically involve it into the story.

Overall it was a very enjoyable and quick read. Would definitely recommend people trying this graphic novel out. ;)

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.

The premise of this book was very cute, and I was looking forward to reading it. I appreciated the inclusion of queer characters, particularly the explanation of identifying as non-binary by the fairies. The plot of the story is interesting, but I wish the book had been longer and had taken more time to explain the actions that the characters were taking, and that we could have gotten to know the characters better. Unfortunately, the whole thing felt flat for me. I found myself not being able to connect with the characters, and the novel ended so quickly that I felt unsatisfied with what I had read. This is a good book to recommend to someone who might just be getting in to graphic novels, or for someone who is looking for a very light read; however, if you are looking for a longer graphic novel with more plot and dialogue, this might not be the book for you.