The many doors in Downtown Doors, local author Natasha Tripplett’s new children’s book, are all in Oakland, although the neighborhood through which Wendall and his mother travel on this particular day is a composite.

Wendall sees and interacts with all sorts of doors, among them those in his own home, a bakery, the revolving door at a hotel, the barbershop and a church’s carved doors. He sees signs on some doors welcoming people in, and signs on other doors telling people to stay out.

“With some doors, only certain people have access,” Tripplett said. “I wanted to use doors [as a metaphor] for who is in this community. Behind each door is a person, a life.” Her own journeys through Oakland, seeing tent cities and wondering what kids think about what they see, inspired her to write the story. “Are they scared? We need to take care of each other. What does that mean to a kid?” she asked.

A mother to four children, Tripplett takes advice on her stories from at least two of them. “My oldest is in her 20s, and she’s a writer as well. I read [the narratives] to her to get her thoughts,” she said.

While her youngest son, in fifth grade, doesn’t hesitate to say things like, “I don’t know if that’s working,” when he hears plot and dialogue details. His mom, she said, is getting invaluable feedback.

In Downtown Doors, one of the first people Wendall sees as he and his mama exit their door and start their day is Mr. David, an apparently homeless man sleeping on a bench. Yet Wendall and his mother know this man’s name. “Shhh,” says Mama as they pass him, allowing him to peacefully rest. They are not afraid of him. He is a human being—a neighbor.

They continue their walk, passing a bakery with delicious smells wafting from its open door, a store clerk putting up the shop’s metal security door, the barbershop where the barber greets them cheerfully and a church where Mama prays for a few minutes. They get on a bus with folding doors and are saluted by the driver. At the food pantry, where Wendall gives the well-known worker a thank-you card and gets a hug in return, they find a special treat: apples and blackberries.

Back at their home, Wendall and Mama see that Mr. David is awake. Wendall wants to be a door into people’s hearts, the way others have been to him. He gives the special treats to Mr. David.

Though Downtown Doors is targeted at children ages 4-9, especially as a read-aloud book, Tripplett feels it can spark conversations for all ages about what “community” means. She believes the traditional “some give, some receive” perception discounts the true reciprocity of the action. “We need to participate in community,” she said. “A door that is open allows people to both enter and exit.”

Tripplett called special attention to the engaging, vividly colored illustrations in the book, created by Leah Giles. “I specifically requested an illustrator who works in collage art,” Tripplett said. The collages, she explained, depict not only the scenes in the narrative, but visually suggest that the people, places and situations are not separated by “cut-and-dried” lines. The answers to some of the problems depicted are not cut-and-dried either, she suggested.

But part of the answer may be as simple as what goes through Wendall’s mind as he contemplates giving his treats to Mr. David. “Wendall thinks about all the doors he sees each week and the people behind them. They all open their hearts and make him feel loved and at home,” Tripplett said.

There are several upcoming opportunities to meet Triplett and have books signed: