Off the Wall: Making Stuff Together

A story about art, collaboration, and happy accidents from your favorite duo of Caldecott Honorees, Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal.

Best friends Juana Martinez-Neal and Molly Idle know a thing or two about collaborative art. After teaming up to illustrate Julie Fogliano’s I Don’t Care, they set out to explore what it takes to make stuff together!

Off the Wall is a joyful celebration of that very process. The day begins with one little girl, alone with a wall and a bucket of chalk. Then a friend comes along to play tic-tac-toe. Before you can say “look out!”, there are five friends, a cat, a dog, and a splattered ice cream cone. Chalk is flying, hands are getting dirty, and the art on the wall gets bigger and, more importantly, better.

Little artists and creative types of all ages will delight in the messmaking of a story that builds and builds to reveal what true friends make when they create together. Off the Wall reminds readers of the magic that happens when we play, experiment, and welcome the unexpected.