If you’re looking for a quick monthly roundup, check out the best books I read in August below! As always, the entire month’s reviews can be found on Bookshop. Tap the image above to look at everything I reviewed.

I’ve been ridiculously lucky with the #SweetsAndSocialJustice options lately! Recipes for Change is your new roadmap for delicious Black history throughout the year.

Inside you’ll find 12 moments of Black greatness and a recipe to accompany it, one for each month of the year. Context for the historical event is given, and it’s very well-researched!

What else can I even say? Y’all know this is my jam. It has everything I need in a book! When the cover first started appearing on social media, I can’t tell you how many people sent it to me in excitement.

Nothing softens the blow of continued education about colonization and the systemic oppression seen (currently and throughout history) like a delicious cookie or cake, imo. I whipped up the cookie recipe from the 1968 Olympic Black Power salute, and you should too.

I’m not here to overstep Michael Platt’s work and talk about my own, but I can say that if you and your family enjoy the contents and mission of his book, you’ll be ready for my grownup-centered version next spring! This is designed for younger readers, and it will set the stage for future endeavors in learning about the politics of food.

Sent by the publisher, all opinions my own!

@Magiccatpublishing @abramskids @AlleannaHarris @michaelcplatt

This is a brilliant pocket-sized book filled with projects, safety tips, and activities for kids ages 5-11. There are tons of photographs and clear instructions, and it was designed by two bushcraft experts who teach children forest school skills from their UK home.

Forest School Handbook was kindly sent by the publisher | @gmcpublications |

Let’s Add Up! | @maggie.draws.stuff @PajamaPressbooks |

This is a fabulous book that explains beginning mathematics, specifically the combination of numbers that can add up to 10. The book shows a diverse cast of kids engaging in different activities, acting out the mathematical scenarios. The text also encourages readers to think about things in different ways, and to always include others.

With summer break so close to being over that it’s practically tasteable, are you dreaming about how to make the remaining time you’ll have include fun stuff like art? I sure am, and I’m not even trying to trick anyone into learning while they make aforementioned art (like all you parents out there are). [Just kidding the Summer Slide is fake I’m only joking]

Below are two awesome new releases from @quartokids that will take your artistic & social justice practices to the next level, just in time for summer.

Anti-Racist Art Activities for Kids | @antiracistartteachers | What if I told you that there was the perfect activity book for art enthusiasts that would ALSO talk about anti-racism & why we should ground our artistic practices in it? And then what if I told you that it was from the creators behind an excellent social justice account right here on IG?

This incredible, colorful, and comprehensive activity book stretches your brain in philosophical and self-reflective ways just as much as it stretches your creativity.

Art Makes People Powerful | Bob and Roberta smith | Speaking directly to the reader, this activity book empowers the artist to feel confident & brave in their art. It emboldens the creator to develop their artistic identity & style unflinchingly.

I see this book as a follow-up to the previous one, when the bumpers of being brand new to anti-racist practices have been lowered. How can we as artists infuse social justice & anti-racism into prompts that aren’t tailored specifically for protest art?

Whatever your medium, sending a message with art has a rich history. Art is political, and yours can be too!

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