Tic-Errific Me: A Book about Tourette Syndrome

A child with Tourette syndrome shares her joys, struggles, and self-confidence

In Tic-errific Me, a young girl explains what it's like to live with Tourette's. Her verbal and motor tics come and go, and she never knows which tics will join her in her activities. Over time, she has learned that playing and relaxing help her tic less, and there are other things that make her tic more. Sometimes she needs the help of her parents, doctors, and therapist to relax her body. And she always remembers that the tics are one part of what makes her a terrific kid.

• Offers an honest portrayal of life with Tourette's, including motor and verbal tics and their effect on life
• Celebrates disability joy and offers an empowering self-representation for disabled kids
• Helps children develop empathy and understanding with first-person storytelling from a child's perspective
• Centers disabled voices by drawing on the author's experience with Tourette syndrome

The Disability Books for Kids series explores visible and invisible disability in the first person, as seen through the eyes of children and written from firsthand experience. The series builds allyship, challenges ableism, and celebrates difference, empowering and educating all readers. Each book includes an author's note to the reader.

Alicia Meyers is an elementary school teacher in Washington, DC, who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at a young age. As a neurodiverse author and teacher, she hopes to encourage those with TS to embrace their tics as part of who they uniquely are. She is a graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, where she sang in an a cappella group called the Acabelles. In addition to Tic-Errific Me, Alicia is the author of The A-to-Z Teaching Toolkit for Early Childhood and Elementary Educators. She also writes humorous picture books, early chapter books, and is currently working on an educational resource book for teachers. When she's not teaching or writing, she can be found singing, reading, traveling the world, and reminding others how totally tic-errific they are.

Alicia was a 2023 PB Party Finalist, won 11th place in Ciara O'Neal and Kaitlyn Sanchez's Spring Fling Contest, and received Honorable Mentions in Mindy Alyse Weiss's PB Party (2021 & 2022), Vivian Kirkfield's 50 Precious Words (2022 & 2023), Kailei Pew's Kids' Choice KidLit Writing Contest (2022), and Susanna Hill's Halloweensie (2021). She is an active member of SCBWI, Julie Hedlund's 12x12 Picture Book Challenge, NaNoWriMo, and a past student of Storyteller Academy.

Cait Brennan is an easily excited illustrator from the coastal town of Charleston, South Carolina. Cait credits much of her creative spirit to growing up around great Southern storytellers who valued nature, food, family, and humor. At an early age, she discovered that drawing was a great way to make people smile--or, even better, laugh. As a total ham, that was very appealing. Her motivations haven't changed much, and she loves celebrating joyful moments, big and small, in her work. When she's not on a deadline, you can find her making big messes in the kitchen, trying to get a laugh, or planning her next trip.