Burnford was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and lived in Ayrshire during her teenage years.

[clarification needed] Burnford is best remembered for The Incredible Journey, published by Hodder & Stoughton with illustrations by Carl Burger in 1960.

The story of three animal pets traveling in the wilderness won the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award in 1963 and the ALA Aurianne Award in 1963 as the best book on animal life written for children ages 8–14.

Another book, Bel Ria, about a dog's survival in wartime, was based on her own experiences as an ambulance driver.

[3] Burnford later wrote other books on Canadian topics, including One Woman's Arctic (1973) about her two summers in Pond Inlet, Nunavut on Baffin Island with Susan Ross.