Creator Corner: Author Loretta Garbutt and Illustrator Hayley Lowe

Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent and upcoming books. For this post, we interviewed Diaper Kid author Loretta Garbutt and illustrator Hayley Lowe, whose book published September 16, 2025!

Owlkids Books: Loretta, how and why did you begin writing children’s books?

Loretta Garbutt: I began writing picture books because I thought they were a perfect package for storytelling. I still do. I worked in a children’s bookstore and read picture books every day. All of us staff members read their favourite books to each other and there was so much excitement when we were able to sell our favourite ones to customers. Picture books are a perfect format for telling a story, they’re quick and smart, funny and share an important message, all in one small package.

Owlkids Books: Hayley, how and why did you begin illustrating children’s books?

Hayley Lowe: My path into illustration started a little later than most. I have always loved drawing but my first career was as a modern dancer. I used to teach children dance and yoga through storytelling which ignited my passion for children’s books. I became laser focused on all things illustration and soaked up as much as I could through night classes, online courses, conferences, workshops and mentorships.

OKB: Loretta, what inspired you to write this book?

LG: Diaper Kid came to me when I recalled the little purple car my son had. His small feet would scurry like a dust storm as they took him and that car all around our neighbourhood with his parents flying after him. Sometimes, he was trying to get away from having his diaper changed.

OKB: Hayley, what was the most enjoyable part of illustrating this book? What was the most challenging part?

HL: This entire book was a joy to create, Dash flew out of my pencil and onto the page! Loretta’s text is fun and lively and I wanted to capture that in the illustrations. I loved creating a sub narrative with Dash’s sidekick kitty. I also enjoyed adding in little background details for the reader to find.

I was lucky with this book and didn’t stumble up against any big challenges!

OKB: Loretta, What was the most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life? What was the most challenging part of the process?

LG: Working with the Editor, Ella Russel was one of my favourite parts of watching this story grow. Ella helped me focus on the ‘car words’ and consistency when the idea wanted to ‘take off’ in another direction. I just loved it when I would read the edits to my family, and they’d find the jokes funny. Even now, it’s made me laugh when my friends laugh.

The most challenging part was the word ‘underwear’. Is it singular or plural? Trying to figure out which sentence made more sense took some work – ‘That pair of underwear, these underwear, this pair of underwear’ was frustrating but again, fun in a silly way.

It was nice having Ella at my back. Even adults have trouble with language!

OKB: Hayley, what was the inspiration for your illustrations in this book?

HL: I wanted the book to have a gentle superhero vibe so I checked out old comic books. I discovered the old Speedracer comics and fell in love with the vintage colours-teal, purple,red and yellow. I used these as inspiration for the Diaper Kid colour palette.

OKB: Loretta and Hayley, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

LG: Mostly, I hope that some children might be introduced to underwear and encouraged to give up their diapers – maybe this book will help. More importantly, I just want them to laugh and enjoy Dash’s antics and fun-loving nature.

HL: I hope young readers will take away that big changes are hard for everyone and they are not alone!

I hope parents will take away that this (phase) too shall pass!

OKB: Loretta and Hayley, what’s an interesting fact people may not know about you?

LG: I voiced the character for Bunny Scout Valerie on Max and Ruby. And also, some voices on the Babar series. I also worked on Sailor Moon and had a lot of fun being Diana the cat.

HL: My party trick is spinning plates!

Thank you so much Loretta and Hayley for taking the time to do this interview and creating a wonderful book! We hope readers enjoy Diaper Kid as much as we did!

Grab your copy today!