Jayden & Friends

Trevor D. is an American, award-winning author and literacy advocate from New Jersey who devotes her time to writing children's books for grades K-3. She is the creator of the Jayden & Friends series, which includes four books centered around a little boy named Jayden. The series promotes literacy by highlighting global themes of loving yourself, loving others, and teaching children empathy by introducing them to diverse characters.

The debut book in the series is entitled I Am Me" It introduces and celebrates the main character, Jayden, and emboldens other children to celebrate themselves, too. The second book, Jayden & Zora's Crown, teaches the importance of honoring friends and the things that make them unique and amazing. In this story, the focus is Zora's hair, but this lesson can be applied to a myriad of situations. The most recent release, Jayden & Friends: Making Sense of Cents" takes the comrades on a journey towards understanding how to build wealth and how to do it collectively. The final book, Jayden and Chad the Warrior, will be released at the end of 2021. It will raise awareness about sickle cell and honor warriors who heroically battle this disease.

Trevor D. uses her voice and pen to craft stories that feature Black and brown boys to increase representation in children's books and create cultural connections. The goal is to ignite and inspire a passion for reading and promote positive self-images. She intends to use her platform to advocate for more attention and focus on being given to fostering a love for reading and writing in boys of color, like her nephews, in the early stages of their academic journeys.

Trevor D. also hopes to share the gift of empathy with ALL children and help them see the world through the eyes of others. "The gift of empathy is what allows us the ability to embrace our differences and similarities and use them to make the world a better place." - Trevor D.

While COVID-19 continues to impact the way children