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Everybody Has a Thing

A story about the people we love exactly as they are

A warm, funny picture book about a multigenerational family who love each other exactly as they are. Featuring gentle, honest representation for children with Tourette's, tics, anxiety, asthma, and any of the small or large things that make a person different.

By Poppy (Jeff Whelchel) / Illustrated by Laiba Faheem

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Everybody Has a Thing Book Cover

 

Everybody Has a Thing

A story about the people we love exactly as they are

 
Order Now!
 
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About the Book

In one family, everybody has a thing.

Some things are silly. Some things are tricky. Some things you can see, and some things you can't.

From the youngest grandchild to the bald grandfather who insists he has no thing at all (he is mistaken), every person at the table is carrying something that makes them who they are.

Everybody Has a Thing is a warm, funny picture book about a multigenerational family who love each other exactly as they are. It is also a gentle, honest story for children with Tourette syndrome, tics, ADHD, autism, anxiety, asthma, and any of the small or large things that make a person different. Written by a physician and grandfather, this is a book about a quiet, ordinary kind of love. The kind that doesn't try to fix anyone. The kind that has room for everybody.

Perfect for classroom libraries, pediatric waiting rooms, school counselors, neurodivergent families, and grandparents looking for a meaningful gift.

 
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Want a hardcover version?

Hardcover version of Everybody Has a Thing arrives July 15, 2026.
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About Poppy

 

Jeff Whelchel is a physician, author, and grandfather who writes children's books under the name Poppy. After nearly three decades practicing medicine, he turned his attention to writing stories drawn from the real moments that happen when a family loves each other well.

He is also the author of Poppy's Prize for Pooping in the Potty and The Long Road to Missy. His memoir, The Long Road to Surrender, is forthcoming in 2026.

Jeff lives in Amarillo, Texas with his wife Pam and their two Boston Terriers, Lulu and Missy.

Order Everybody Has a Thing now!

About Poppy

 

Jeff Whelchel is a physician, author, and grandfather who writes children's books under the name Poppy. After nearly three decades practicing medicine, he turned his attention to writing stories drawn from the real moments that happen when a family loves each other well.

He is also the author of Poppy's Prize for Pooping in the Potty and The Long Road to Missy. His memoir, The Long Road to Surrender, is forthcoming in 2026.

Jeff lives in Amarillo, Texas with his wife Pam and their two Boston Terriers, Lulu and Missy.

Order Everybody Has a Thing now!

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