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Mildred D. Taylor facts for kids

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For the American politician from New York, see Mildred F. Taylor.
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Mildred D. Taylor
Born Mildred DeLois Taylor
(1943-09-13) September 13, 1943 (age 81)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Occupation Writer
Education University of Toledo (BA)
University of Colorado, Boulder (MA)
Genre Children's literature
Notable works Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Notable awards Newbery Medal (1977)
NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature (2003)
ALA Lifetime Achievement Award (2020)
Children's Literature Legacy Award (2021)
Relatives Brittany Friedman

Mildred DeLois Taylor (born September 13, 1943) is a famous American writer. She writes books for young people. She is best known for her book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. This book is part of her popular Logan family series.

Taylor's books often explore important topics. She writes about family and the challenges African Americans faced in the Deep South (the southern states of the U.S.) during difficult times. Her stories are easy for young readers to understand. She won the Newbery Medal in 1977 for Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. She also received the first NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature in 2003. In 2020, she was honored with the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2021, she won the Children's Literature Legacy Award.

Mildred Taylor's Early Life

Mildred Taylor was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1943. Her great-grandfather was a former slave. He was the son of an African-Indian woman and a white landowner. When Mildred was a young child, her family moved to Toledo, Ohio. She went to public schools there. Later, she graduated from the University of Toledo in 1965.

Education and Peace Corps

After college, Mildred Taylor spent two years working with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. The Peace Corps is a program where Americans volunteer to help people in other countries. When she returned to the United States, she earned a master's degree in journalism. She studied at the University of Colorado. While there, she helped create a Black Studies Program. She was part of the Black Student Alliance. Today, she lives in Colorado.

The Logan Family Stories

Mildred Taylor's books tell the stories of several generations of the Logan family. These stories cover different time periods. They range from the time of slavery to the Jim Crow era. The Jim Crow era was a time when laws in the southern U.S. kept Black people separate and unequal.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Her most famous book is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, published in 1976. This book won the Newbery Medal in 1977. It is now taught in many classrooms across the United States. This book is part of a series. Other books in the series include Song of the Trees (1975), Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981), The Road to Memphis (1992), and The Land (2001).

Inspiration for Her Books

Mildred Taylor's stories are based on oral history. This means they come from stories told to her by her father, uncles, and aunt. She has said that her books would not exist without her family. She especially credits her father. She felt these family stories were very clear in her mind. She said that once she realized adults talked about the past, she began to imagine all the family members who had lived on the land before. She felt like she knew them, too.

Mildred Taylor's Books

Here is a list of Mildred Taylor's books:

Awards and Honors

Mildred Taylor has received many important awards for her writing.

Lifetime Achievement Awards

Awards for Specific Books

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