Byrd Baylor
Byrd Baylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 28, 1924 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | June 16, 2021 (aged 97) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Notable works | Amigo, When Clay Sings, The Desert is Theirs, Hawk, I'm Your Brother, The Way to Start a Day |
Byrd Baylor (March 28, 1924 – June 16, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, and author of picture books for children. Four of her books have achieved Caldecott Honor status.
Background
Byrd Baylor was born in March 1924 in San Antonio, Texas.[1] She was related to Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, the namesake of Baylor University, and to Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Her first name, Byrd, is taken from her mother's maiden name.[2]
Baylor attended the University of Arizona.[1]
Writing
Baylor's work presents images of the Southwest and an intense connection between the land and the Native American people.[1] Her prose illustrates vividly the value of simplicity, the natural world, and the balance of life within it.[3] She wrote an essay entitled Good Women Who Love Bad Trucks which she read aloud for radio station KXCI.[4] Byrd contributed essays to Tucson's City Magazine in the late 1980s.[5]
Personal life
Baylor latterly lived in Arivaca, Arizona, in an adobe house that did not have electricity. She worked with three manual typewriters.[6]
She died in June 2021 at the age of 97[7][8] in Tucson, Arizona.[9][10]
Caldecott Honors
Baylor was awarded Caldecott Honors for her books When Clay Sings (1973) with illustrator Tom Bahti, and The Desert is Theirs (1976), Hawk, I'm Your Brother (1977), and The Way to Start a Day (1979) with illustrator Peter Parnall.[11]
Bibliography
- Amigo (1963, illustrated by Garth Williams))
- One Small Blue Bead (1965; illustrated by Symeon Shimin)
- Before You Came This Way (1969, illustrated by Tom Bahti)
- Coyote Cry (1972, drawings by Symeon Shimin)
- When Clay Sings (1972, illustrated by Tom Bahti)
- Sometimes I Dance Mountains (1973, photographs by Bill Sears, drawings by Ken Longtemps)
- Everybody Needs a Rock (1974; illustrated by Peter Parnall) [12]
- The Desert is Theirs (1975; illustrated by Peter Parnall) (Caldecott Honor)
- Hawk, I’m Your Brother (1976; illustrated by Peter Parnall) (Caldecott Honor)
- Yes Is Better than No (1977; with illustrations by Leonard Chana, 1990)
- The Way to Start a Day (1978; illustrated by Peter Parnall) (Caldecott Honor)
- The Other Way to Listen (1978; illustrated by Peter Parnall)
- Your Own Best Secret Place (1979; illustrated by Peter Parnall)
- If You Are a Hunter of Fossils (1980; illustrated by Peter Parnall)
- Desert Voices (1981; illustrated by Peter Parnall)
- I'm In Charge of Celebrations (1986; illustrated by Peter Parnall)
- The Table Where Rich People Sit (1994; illustrated by Peter Parnall)
References
- ^ a b c "Byrd Baylor Papers". The Children's Literature Research Collections. University of Minnesota. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ "Bonnie Henry : Desert druid writes on". May 17, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
- ^ "Birthday Bios: Byrd Baylor". Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
- ^ "Good Women Who Love Bad Trucks – Byrd Baylor". Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ https://archive.org/search?sort=-date&query=%28byrd%29+AND+title%3A%28%22City+Magazine%22%29. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Authors Attending the 2004 Northern Arizona Book Festival". Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
- ^ Davis, Tony (June 25, 2021). "Tucson writer Byrd Baylor, 'voice of the desert and its people,' dies at 97". Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ Maughan, Shannon (July 1, 2021). "Obituary: Byrd Baylor". Publishers Weekly.
- ^ Davis, Tony (June 25, 2021). "Tucson writer Byrd Baylor, 'voice of the desert and its people,' dies at 97". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Star, Arizona Daily (June 25, 2021). "Children's book author Byrd Baylor is at home in the desert". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present". Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Baylor, B., Everybody Needs a Rock, accessed August 3, 2023