Shelley, the Hyperactive Turtle

by Deborah M. Moss, Carol Schwartz (Illustrator)

Shelley the turtle has a very hard time sitting still, even for short periods of time. During a visit to the doctor, Shelley learns that he is hyperactive, and that he can take medicine every day to control his wiggly feeling. With help from his doctor and love from his family, Shelley feels much better about himself.

Genres: Picture Books, Adhd, Childrens

20 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1989

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about poor Shelly the turtle who wiggles and runs and spins on his turtle shell. Shelly is a hyperactive turtle, he is not like the other turtles since he can't sit still, he can be careless with his toys and breaks things, and he is always in trouble.
Shelly is sad becuase he seems to always be in trouble and doesn't have friends since ither turtles see him as naughty. BUT, one day he goes to see a doctor and he says he has ADHD and he just needs to take medicine and he will be able to focus a bit better.
I love this book for children who actually have ADHD so they will see that taking a pill, seeing a therapist as bad or didfernt it's something you have to do if you have ADHD. he still has some issues but he now knows he is a not a naughty turtle but one who has some staying still, focusing issues. A great book!

[Tara Strosnider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shelley the turtle has a very hard time sitting still, even for short periods of time. During a visit to the doctor, Shelley learns that he is hyperactive, and that he can take medicine every day to control his wiggly feeling. With help from his doctor and love from his family, Shelley feels much better about himself.

This book teaches about adhd and i love that cause I have adhd and it,makes,me feel better about it because it encourages the understanding of this and encourages children to pursue their dreams despite their condition.

This book can also teach parents about their child's condition and then instill parents with a can do attitude as they meet the challenges of raising their special child.

This story explains it directly to not only the child but to brothers, sisters and friends as well.

[Mykenna Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shelly is a turtle who is different from everyone else in his school and his pond. Shelly doesn't like to sit still and often gets in trouble at school. He doesn't have many friends because most of the moms and dads thinks he is a bad turtle. Shelly wanted to be good and got his feelings hurt when he got called a bad boy. He finally went to the doctor with his mom and got told he was hyperactive, not a bad boy. He got medicine that helped him and finally made a lot of friends.

[Macy Grider · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is great for young readers to learn about ADHD and how it works. It is great for young readers because it follows the life of a fictional turtle who has this disorder. I believe that it may be easier for young students to imagine a fictional character better with this disorder and be able to understand it better.

[Gabby]

As Shelley goes through his days, he has trouble staying still and paying attention in school and at home. He often gets in trouble for being too rowdy and breaking things. He can’t seem to act the way he should even though he desperately wants to be a good turtle. His parents worry about him and take him to the doctor only to find out that Shelly has AD/HD. He goes to therapy and takes medication to help him, and he becomes a generally well behaved, good little turtle.

While the title suggests that the story may be a comedy, it is actually a text that helps teach the basics of a disorder, AD/HD. I must say that I was moderately disappointed with the story seeing as how it did not teach me anything new, but I understand how it could potentially be useful to a child who has the disorder. So while the title does not follow through in a comical sense, its irony of a hyperactive turtle, which is exactly the opposite of a normal turtle, does draw the reader in initially.

The text has the potential to help a child who has AD/HD, but it also has the potential to make that child feel even more isolated from his/her peers. The fact that the author chose to use turtles as an example emphasizes the differences between “normal” individuals and individuals who have disorders. This strong emphasis can lead the child reading the book to believe that he/she is not a normal child when in fact every person has his/her own unique qualities. Because of the character choice, a child could easily misunderstand the point of the story.

[Arsenio Richardson]

This book does have a nice square shape but is a little smaller than many books I have chosen. When a book is small I get the feeling it may be for a younger child. The book does not have a book jacket which would mean it is for a older or more advanced child. The title is also an indication that the book is little more advanced just because it uses the word “hyperactive” many kids will not be familiar with that word. The cover is very detailed and in-depth. They used paints and oils which gave the real life setting.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic kids' book to help ADHD children relate to their experience. I particularly liked the parts where Shelley goes to a therapist since we are doing that right now with Alex, and I also like how the author talked a lot about Shelley's feelings. I bought this since we loved it so much to keep in our library.

[Abbi Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because I can use it to show a classroom how some people just can't sit still without telling the class that there is something "different" about them. This would be great to read if your class didn't understand or were annoyed by someone's hyperactivity.

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been better, but I suppose for students needing explicit instruction, it's just what they need to help them feel better about a recent diagnosis of ADD/ADHD

[Roxanne Koopman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good story to use with students who have signs of ADD, ADHD. The turtle will relate to them very well.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a turtle who is hyperactive. After going to the doctor and getting medicine he is doing much better. This is a good book to help students understand ADD and ADHD.

[Laneika Cason · Rating 5 out of 5]

PB15. A great book that many children with ADD/ADHD can relate to. It can also help to explain to children what a classmate or friend may feel when they can't quite control their actions.