I Do Not Like Yolanda

by Zoey Abbott

Bianca likes stamps and writing letters and going to the post office. . . she does not like Yolanda, who works there. A relatable story about facing your fears and giving people a second chance for fans of Miss Nelson Is Missing and My Teacher is a Monster.

When Bianca gets stuck in Yolanda's line at the post office, she expects the worst: scowls, claws, teeth . . .

This is what she gets for having a five-letter day.

She might not survive . . .

Or will Yolanda surprise her?

This hilarious story explores fear and kindness, in that order, when Bianca decides to overcome her terror and ask Yolanda very nicely how her weekend was... and learns that Yolanda is not scary, she's a delight! A truly lovely book about questioning your assumptions and reaching out to another person, no matter how scary they might be.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Self Reliance

44 pages, Hardcover

Published March 16, 2021

About the author

Zoey Abbott is a graduate in Women’s Studies and History from Smith College. She spent four years living and painting in Japan. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, kids and a large dog named Carrots.

Reviews

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Do Not Like Yolanda is a sweet, little picture book about overcoming fears! This book is also a great way to introduce letter writing and pen pals. I think this is just the sweetest little book and I highly recommend picking it up with your little ones.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrator's voice is that of the precocious young child who is self-assured and thinks they know everything. This may sound annoying, but in the case of this book it is delightful. Bianca likes to do a lot of things but she does not like Yolanda. Yolanda scares her, but when she has no choice but to deal with Yolanda, she finds out something about her and looks forward to learning more. This book is particularly suited to precocious but also strongly independent children.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting little work of fiction for children that I wasn't sure at first, but closing it, I very much like it. I like the way it brings on its subject. That instead of hating or being scare of stranger, we should talk to them and learn to know them so we can see that they might have some good bout them. A book about others, empathy and all of it envelop in a fun and «catchy» story. Well done!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute and fun to read! The illustrations were well done and really add to the story. I already have plans to use this book in my classroom for a variety of purposes - facing fears, accepting differences, and modelling letter writing.

[Chance Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Bianca likes to write letters but she does not like Yolanda at the Post Office.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A semi-autobiographical picture book in which a little girl who loves letters and stamps lets go of her fears and anger toward a local postal clerk who slighted and made her uncomfortable in the past.

The pacing and structure just didn't work for me. ~Yawn~

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book with a wonderful message. It is about conquering your fears and giving people a second chance.

Little Bianca collects stamps and loves to write letters. She goes to the post office to buy stamps so she can mail her letters. One of the employees of the post office, named Yolanda, scares her... right down to her toes. Yolanda has long claw-like finger nails ( like scaly talons), a stern unsmiling face and very abrupt manor. Bianca dreads that perhaps she will get in Yolanda's line and have to be served by her. Poor girl.

On one special Five Letter Day Bianca arrives at the post office and there is only one window open and guess who is standing waiting to pounce?... or so Bianca thinks.

"I think to myself... I am NOT going to run ( even though I want to)
I clutch my letters tight..."

Bravely she walks up to Yolanda even though she's scared to death and a wonderful thing happens. Is Yolanda really that big bad ogre that Bianca's imagination has turned her into? Or deep inside is she really a very nice person? Bianca is about to find out.

The illustrations are rich and enhance the narrative greatly. This book would be great to share when talking about facing your fears and accepting other's differences. It also would be great in a classroom to inspire and model letter writing, something that is becoming a lost art in our culture. It would be fun to a write letter, address an envelope and place a stamp on it to mail to someone you know. I highly recommend this book.

[Melanie McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of my favourite picture book reads for the year! I loved the story about a little girl who did not like a grumpy post office worker, but when she took the time to ask her something about herself, learned they have a lot in common. A wonderful story to teach children that there is more to a person then a first impression.

Review will post on blog Nov 15/20.

[Cozy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own

This is a cute and very quick read. Perfect for younger children. It brings to light that sometimes first impressions aren't always correct and sometimes just saying "hi" can change things.

⭐⭐⭐.75

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky young letter writer and philatelist resolves her irrational fear of a postal clerk, thanks to a timely question and an unusual response. Whimsical illustrations enhance the protagonist’s eccentricities in entertaining ways.

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book about a little girl who doesn't like Yolanda the postal worker! Find out why!

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bianca loves to write letters and send them to friends and relatives. What she doesn't like is the chance that she will have to be in Yolanda's line at the post office. She has some crazy notions about Yolanda that have no reason or basis in her interactions. When she finally deals with her, she finds that a pleasant word or question, changes Yolanda's countenance. She ends up really liking Yolanda after all. When we read this story, we talked about why Yolanda might be grumpy and what we can do to make people happier. Bianca acted perfectly and Yolanda responded exactly as we predicted. This is a great story to use to talk about treating people with kindness because we don't know what they are dealing with. We also talked about smiling and saying hi to people even when we don't feel like it because it might make us feel better too. We also talked about Bianca being afraid of Yolanda and what things we might be afraid of. Some fears are real and necessary (ie. Stranger Danger) but some are not and it is important to face them, sometimes with help from others. The illustrations were cute and added to the story. A great story for families, classrooms, schools, and public libraries. Maybe it will help resurrect the lost art of letter writing. 😊

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story and the rhythm, good lesson for all about giving people a chance.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about the harm that making assumptions does to those making assumptions as well as the freedom that comes with letting them go...

[IvyInThePages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.75 leaves out of 5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Story: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Genre: Children/ Picture book
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Zoey Abbott and Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a cute book about facing your fears and overcoming them and in the end, you might learn something about yourself. I love the illustrations and the fact that Bianca writes letters to so many people, this book might even inspire a new generation of children to bring back letter writing.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joyous book from beginning to end packed with fine details, amusements throughout, and an engaging and relatable arc of development. The illustrations are marvelous and generous. Whether in the classroom or at home, I Do Not Like Yolanda can be useful for discussions about overcoming fear and negative preconceptions, the power of kindness, and the creative process of writing. Highly recommended.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to inspire both letter writing and bridging biased divides by simple acts of consideration. Spectacularly charming, detailed, illustrations.

[Khari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this one, not because it is the awesomest story in the world, or the most engaging, but because it struck a chord with me.

I write letters.

I'm the weird person out of step with the times and her generation. I love writing letters. I love getting letters. I love sending them. The author understands that feeling, she captured it in the lines of "You've got to think ahead and spell things correctly so that someone else can read them. You've got to have interesting things to say, otherwise you might just bore their pants off." Yup, that's the case. Letter writing is all about your audience. You want to make your audience feel something while they read your letter, you want them to be engaged, so you have think before and while you are writing. It's a fun way to put yourself in someone else's shoes and I enjoy it greatly, so I enjoyed reading this letter.

On the other hand, I have never been afraid of a postal worker, stamps bore me, and why on earth would you draw on an envelope? Now wax sealing the envelope I totally get, but drawing? You can see that there were places where I couldn't quite identify with the character of Bianca.

I kept trying to place her. Her uncle's first name sounds Japanese, but his last name doesn't, her name is solidly typical Caucasian 'Monroe', but she obviously lives somewhere near an Asian center because nowhere else do they have a giant Buddha who's stomach you rub for luck. That's a solidly normal thing in say Japan, but fairly unusual in the US. She also crosses her 'everythings' for luck, which is solidly American...so I guess she is the perfect melting pot of a character. Good for her.

Now, mechanically, I didn't think it was a fantastic story. The diction was very good, perfect for a kid. It was engaging and not at all stilted. It had a good lesson, don't judge someone by their cover, try to get to know people, they might be more interesting and nicer than you thought, but how we got to that realization was a little bit meandering and a bit too unstructured and out of order. Much was made of how she collected stamps, but nothing really developed out of that. I had a hard time knowing where the story was going because Yolanda didn't feature in it much in the beginning.

But, the again, I couldn't write it, so I'm just nitpicking. It's a much better story than any I have ever produced.

Story: Narrative
Art: Soft and winsome
Price: $18.99

[Rainbow Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Do Not like Yolanda by Zoey Abbott follows a young girl named Bianca who loves stamps and letters, but is scared of a woman named Yolanda who works at her local post office.

Narrated by Bianca herself, this humorous picture book tells us all about Bianca’s less-than-ideal interactions with Yolanda. We learn that Bianca believes Yolanda eats people up, and how she “crosses EVERYTHING” while she’s in line to avoid being called to Yolanda’s window.

But one day, Bianca decides that she will not let Yolanda ruin her day. She musters up her courage and decides to ask Yolanda about her weekend. This one act of kindness changes everything Bianca knows about Yolanda, which as it turns out, isn’t that much.

As a child who felt anxiety at the mere mention of speaking to strangers, I Do Not Like Yolanda spoke directly to my childhood. I know lots of children will relate to Bianca’s feelings about Yolanda and in the end, learn that people aren’t always as scary as we might think.

The illustrations are fantastic, and they capture Bianca’s story perfectly. I especially appreciated the way we see Yolanda’s “talons” and the way she is dramatically revealed in the end.

I would like to thank Tundra Books for generously providing a review copy of I Do Not Like Yolanda. This was such a fun book, and I’m thrilled to be able to share it.

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[Hillery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Do Not Like Yolanda is so telling of so many of our experiences in life, dealing with people and situations that make us feel small, uneasy and unloved. As children I think we face these fear and feelings often simply because of our size and place in the world. Yes as adults, they don’t seem to go away for many of us as we navigate a world with people that we struggle to understand. The little girl in this book loves writing letters but she is made to feel small and uncomfortable one day at the post office by a seemingly unkind postal worker. I think this is a perfect setting to work with these feelings as most of us have been made to feel this way at one time or another at a post office. The little girl gathers up all her courage and tries something new one day…she approaches this person at the post office with curiosity and kindness. To her surprise and delight things work out well. She may even end up with a new friend. It takes an open heart, courage and lots of understanding to see people for who they and where they are. I love this story and i think it’ beautiful for the children and adults of all ages!

[The Book Maven · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a title like this, I was NOT sure what to expect. "Stupid Yolanda," I thought as I opened the book. "Wait, who's Yolanda?"

Yolanda, as it turns out, is the postmistress who terrorizes Bianca when she brings in her letters to post. Bianca is a prolific letter writer for someone of her age--she writes to five people!--but Yolanda is not always very helpful when Bianca interacts with her. But one day, Bianca summons up all her courage (and good luck charms) to go to the post office and mail out her letters. She actually makes conversation with Yolanda--and to her delight, finds out that Yolanda's more intriguing than scary! This book is a great tool to teach kids that people are more than they appear, and that getting to know people is a solid way to make people less scary.

And this would be a great book to get kids started on a letter-writing activity!



(Illustrations lacked sophistication, but that's simply my preference for more intricate and involved artwork)

[Judith Valen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a dear book, rich in opportunities for discussion and activities. First, the illustrations are so beautifully approachable, softly colorful and detailed, with so much opportunity for looking and seeing in general as well as reflecting on the story itself. Thoughtfully, main character Bianca is rendered racially ambiguous and inclusively approachable for all. The story sparkles with the depth of universal life lessons for discussions and activities: What is friendship? What are assumptions? How does one connect with others? How does one overcome fears? Importantly, the tale also lends itself to many meaningful activities such as stamp collecting, exploration of the globe, the content and format of letter writing, and a plethora of art project possibilities. "I Do Not Like Yolanda" is a packed parcel of thematic and visual gifts for all who engage. Kudos to Ms. Abbott for another sensitive and beautiful book for children.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

All kids have had that situation where some adult in their lives seems scary and they decide that they don't like that person. For Bianca, that scary, unlikable person is Yolanda, a clerk at the post office. Bianca loves writing letters and getting mail and the post office would be a wonderful place, except for Yolanda. But on a day when she finds herself face-to-face with her nemesis, Bianca forces herself to sound brave and asks Yolanda how her weekend was. Yolanda turns out to be a pretty pleasant person and now Bianca has a new friend at the post office.

I like this one as a discussion topic and a writing prompt about someone we feared or disliked at first and how our opinions changed.

[Lauren Stohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A relatable story with a main character I would love to be pen pals with!
What do I like most about this story?
1. That absolutely REAL thing that happens where inadvertent transgressions get transformed into imagined malevolence?
2. The realization that other people have marvelous secret lives?
3. The reference to a wonderful piece of 1950's literature?
This book is delightfully timeless, and I loved that it centered Bianca's everyday interactions with her community. From the customers at the Post Office to Bianca's collection of favorite objects, the illustrations gave me the feeling of being immersed in her world. I would recommend this to any parent whose kids are getting ready to take steps toward joining the big, wide world.

[John Mullarkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story - and a terrific read aloud - about overcoming one's fears. Bianca is the main character who is an avid letter writer; she has a few pen pals and grandparents in New Zealand and others who travel the world. Her nemesis however, is a postal worker names Yolanda. All of her interactions with Yolanda have not turned out well - and on Bianca's next trip to the post office - the only window available is - Yolanda's. How will Bianca react? The artwork is also wonderful, and I really liked the stamp collecting angle as well. Even the most self-assured children can have anxieties and fears; this is a very fitting story about dealing with such situations.

[Alissa Tsaparikos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful and amusing read that follows a young girl who has made a monster out of the post office lady she does not like. I think this is something anyone can identify with. There's always that one person who rubs us wrong. And it is very easy to do just what Bianca does. In her case, she builds Yolanda into a foe that threatens to upset all of Bianca's letter writing plans. However, little Bianca is not willing to let Yolanda win. So she strikes out, and with a bit of kindness herself, she finds that maybe her first impression wasn't actually correct.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bianca, the young heroine of this picture book, has room in her heart for writing letters to:

My pen pal in Sri Lanka
My grandma in Washington, D.C.
My other grandma who travels on a boat around the world
My uncle Kenta
And my friend who moved to Uganda.

However, Bianca has turned one of the workers at her local post office into a horrible monster. All the drama of this story involves how she scapegoats this postal worker, Yolanda. By the end of this story, Bianca decides that Yolanda might not be so terrible after all.

FIVE STARS

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl loves many things, especially writing letters. But she does not like Yolanda. Eventually we learn that Yolanda is a woman at the post office who is not very friendly or approachable. The young girl must encounter her every week if she wants to get her letters mailed. One day she bucks up the courage to ask Yolanda how her day was. Yolanda is obviously taken aback. When she collects herself she politely says relays that she served a quite delicious meal out a favorite cookbook, thus becoming one of the young girl's favorite people.

A great one for confidence building.