I Do Not Like Yolanda Activities

I Do Not Like Yolanda Summary

When you read the title I Do Not Like Yolanda, you’re compelled to open the book. You’ll want to learn what’s up with Yolanda. But first, we meet Bianca.

Bianca loves everything about writing and sending letters. She cares about spelling and puts much thought into what she writes. She decorates her letters and envelopes with colorful pictures and adds interesting stamps.

There is one thing that Bianca does not like about writing and sending letters. She’s afraid of Yolanda, the post office clerk. Bianca makes assumptions about Yolanda while waiting in line. She decides that Yolanda doesn’t like people and wants to eat them. Bianca’s ideas about Yolanda make her afraid.

When Bianca gathers the courage to ask Yolanda for stamps, she also asks about her weekend. Bianca is surprised about what happens next. Instead of eating Bianca, Yolanda tells her all about a delicious meal she made. It turns out that Bianca had the wrong idea about Yolanda. The postal clerk was quite friendly and interesting!

Readers are going to love the suspenseful structure of this book. They’ll be captivated by the hints of Yolanda’s character as the story builds. The illustrations draw readers further into the story as they look for clues and watch Bianca’s anxiety grow.

The conclusion reminds readers that assumptions are not helpful.

I Don’t Like Yolanda Lesson Activity

AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Explore/Think V.A.2: Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by reflecting and questioning assumptions and possible misconceptions.

By the end of this lesson activity, learners will understand the importance of questioning their assumptions about the people they meet.

Begin by reading I Don’t Like Yolanda by Zoey Abbott. Ask learners the following questions:

• Why do you suppose Bianca imagined a scary version of the postal worker?
• What made Bianca change her mind about the postal worker?

Next, introduce the story of Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña. Tell learners that while you read the story, their job is to watch how Milo makes assumptions about the people around him. Reflect on the story by asking the following questions:

• How did Milo’s pictures of people change by the end of the story?
• What caused Milo to change his thinking?

Invite learners to reflect on the lessons from both stories. Encourage learners to share how Bianca and Milo’s stories will help them the next time they make assumptions about people.

More Lesson Ideas

Wondering how to structure a letter and address an envelope? Check out the endpapers in I Do Not Like Yolanda. Here you’ll find letters written by Bianca to her friends and family. The letters are fun to read!

Want to learn more about the post office? Take a virtual field trip to the post office by watching Post Office Field Trip from PBS Learning Media.

To learn about postage stamps, visit Britannia Kids. Here you’ll find interesting information about the history and purpose of stamps.

Tundra, the publisher, has a tremendous amount of fun ideas that will work for any class schedule. Click here to access #TundraTime activities for I Do Not Like Yolanda.

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