The Best Part of Me Book¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 2 studies (2 review), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size

Description¶

The class creates a collaborative book in which each student selects one part of their body they love, is photographed with it, and writes the name of the body part and the reason they love it. The strategy, popularized by photographer Wendy Ewald's published classroom project, combines photography, personal writing, and whole-class publication to promote self-esteem, positive body image, and community. The finished artifact gives every student a visible, valued place in a shared product.

Design Implications¶

The strategy works by pairing structured self-affirmation with an authentic audience: writing that is published for real readers carries more motivational weight than writing for the teacher alone Authentic audiences increase engagement and effort. [+M]. Self-affirmation activities that ask students to articulate personal strengths can buffer self-esteem and support persistence under threat Self-efficacy predicts academic persistence. [+M]. Because the activity touches on body image, its value depends heavily on framing — it must celebrate function, uniqueness, and personal meaning rather than appearance evaluation.

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A camera (or drawing materials as a substitute) and materials for assembling the book
• Teacher modeling of a sample entry that emphasizes function and personal meaning ("I love my legs because they carry me up the hill to my grandmother's house"), not appearance
• An opt-out or alternative pathway (e.g., choosing a non-body feature such as a talent or a possession) for students uncomfortable with the body focus
• A sharing structure such as Class Discussion or a publishing celebration

Constraints¶

• Students with body image concerns, disordered eating risk factors, or visible differences may experience the activity as spotlighting rather than celebrating [-M] — body-focused interventions can increase appearance salience when poorly framed [~M]
• Whole-class sharing without norms for respectful response can invite teasing about the very features students named [-M]
• Effects on self-esteem are likely short-lived without reinforcement; a single affirming activity does not change classroom climate by itself [-W]

Implementation Variability¶

• Substitute a drawing or a photograph of the body part in action (hands building, feet dancing) to shift focus from appearance to capability
• Extend to "The Best Part of My Family" or "The Best Part of My Culture" for community-building variants
• Digital publication (class blog, printed book via a service like Shutterfly or Blurb) versus handmade bound book

Target Learners¶

• Early elementary students (K–3), who are developing self-concept and respond well to concrete, personal writing tasks
• English language learners — the photographic prompt lowers language demands and gives a concrete referent
• Less suitable without adaptation for older students, among whom body-focused activities carry greater social risk [~M]

Target Learning Goals¶

• Social-emotional: self-esteem, positive body image, self-expression
• Community building: each student contributes a valued piece to a shared artifact
• Literacy: descriptive writing with an authentic purpose and audience

Instructions¶

1. Read and discuss Wendy Ewald's The Best Part of Me as a model text, analyzing how each child explains their choice.
2. Teacher writes and shares a model entry aloud, emphasizing function and personal story over appearance.
3. Students choose their body part and draft their reason; conferencing helps them elaborate beyond one-word answers.
4. Photograph each student's chosen body part (or have students illustrate it).
5. Assemble the book and hold a publishing celebration using Whole-Class Sharing, with pre-taught norms for appreciative responses.

Related Strategies¶

• Gratitude Journals — same self-affirmation logic applied to external rather than self-directed appreciation
• All About Me Posters — a lower-stakes, non-body-focused variant for building self-concept

Examples¶

• Wendy Ewald, The Best Part of Me: Children Talk About Their Bodies in Pictures and Words (Little, Brown, 2002) — the originating project, in which Ewald photographed children's chosen body parts alongside their written explanations; widely used as a mentor text in K–3 classrooms.
• Classroom adaptations are commonly shared on teacher sites such as ReadWriteThink and teaching blogs, typically as a September community-building or an April poetry-month activity.

Key Sources¶

• Ewald, W. (2002). The best part of me: Children talk about their bodies in pictures and words. Little, Brown and Company.
• O'Dea, J. A., & Abraham, S. (2000). Improving the body image, eating attitudes, and behaviors of young male and female adolescents: A new educational approach that focuses on self-esteem. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 28(1), 43–57.
• Cohen, G. L., & Sherman, D. K. (2014). The psychology of change: Self-affirmation and social psychological intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 333–371. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115137
• Smolak, L. (2004). Body image in children and adolescents: Where do we go from here? Body Image, 1(1), 15–28. doi:10.1016/S1740-1445(03)00008-1