Byrd Baylor


Byrd Baylor Schweitzer is 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. She is 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.
Baylor attended the University of Arizona.

Writing

Baylor's work presents images of the Southwest and an intense connection between the land and the Native American people. Her prose illustrates vividly the value of simplicity, the natural world, and the balance of life within it.

Personal

Baylor currently lives in Arivaca, Arizona, in an adobe house that does not have electricity, and works with three manual typewriters.

Caldecott Honors

Baylor was awarded Caldecott Honors for her books When Clay Sings with illustrator Tom Bahti, and The Desert is Theirs, Hawk, I'm Your Brother, and The Way to Start a Day with illustrator Peter Parnall.