The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught

Source: NetGalley, Thank you to the publisher!!
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).

Plot: A very easy and cute quest to fetch mushrooms turns into a bit more for these two friends
Characters: Hadley and Juniper were our main PoVs and we stayed with them. A hyper, ‘bit much’ Bard and the calm Baker who acts as their foil
Setting: Very wide open, the artwork on the setting was perhaps my favorite. It made it seem lovely and peaceful
Magic: Very simple but diverse. Musical magic and some fairy magic as well, it wasn’t super integral to the plot however.

Thoughts:

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)