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.

This is a cute, short funny picture book. It teaches a lesson on not judging people before we really get the chance to know them personally. People are not as mean as they may seem.

This was a lovely read! Not only does this book introduce the concept of handwritten mail to the new generation, but it helps encourage young readers to face their fears and biases. I could definitely see this book inspiring letter-writing activities for young children, which is a great way for them to stay connected during this pandemic. I look forward to its release!

My class and I loved I Do Not Like Yolanda. Not only was it a fun and entertaining story, but we really appreciated how sharing a moment of kindness with someone can make their day or start a relationship. Bianca thought she did not like Yolanda, but she discovered that you don't always know someone else's story and that we should give people second chances. The use of letters in the book served as a mentor text for letter writing, and led to a good discussion about what should in a friendly letter, along with learning about stamps and how needs to be on an envelope. I will definitely be picking this book up to use in the my classroom. A big thank you to Penguin/Random House and Net Galley for the Advanced Readers' Copy!

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

Writing letters is a lost skill, but going to the post office is not. Especially in this time when the powers that be are trying to close and sell off the post office I find this story more important than ever. I feel for Bianca, as I too have had beautiful letters covered by ugly postage by the domineering post office lady. But with a little courage, we can all make a new friend and find that there is a lot to like, even about Yolanda.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I Do Not Like Yolanda is a cute picture book about overcoming your fears and taking the time to get to know someone. Bianca loves to write letters, but her fear of one of the ladies who works at the post office casts a shadow on her love of letters and stamps, until she changes her thinking and opens her mind and heart.

I found the picture book to be cute and engaging, but missing a special flare to make it my new favourite read. I wasn't a fan of the font (perhaps it will be different in the final, published book), but the illustrations were adorable and a great fit for the story.

This is a great picture book.

Bianca does not like Yolanda who works at the post office. Bianca loves to write letters and visit the post office for stamps and to mail her letters but she is very scared of Yolanda.

The story of facing and overcoming your fears is universal and presented here in a different way than I’ve seen before. Disliking or fearing a stranger because you don’t know them, and largely based on how they look, is also important and well told in a way children can understand and probably relate to in their own life.

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.

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.