Creator Corner: Author Susan Sweet and Illustrator Cailin Doherty

Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent books. For this post, we interviewed I Need Pants! author Susan Sweet and illustrator Cailin Doherty, whose book is publishing April 15, 2025!

Owlkids Books: Susan, why did you begin writing children’s books?

Susan Sweet: I’ve always loved writing. I’ve also always loved children—that’s why I became a child psychologist. They say to write what you know, so writing children’s books was a natural connection. There are so many opportunities to support children’s well-being through the stories we share with them.

Owlkids Books: Cailin, when did you know that you wanted to be an illustrator?

Cailin Doherty: I knew that I wanted to be an illustrator ever since I was able to hold a pencil. Making my own “books” out of paper was how I spent a lot of my time. I would like to give an honorable mention to Crayola as they really helped me foster my love for art from a young age. Their twistable crayons, scented markers, and erasable pencil crayons were among my favorite tools as a young artist.

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

SS: As a child psychologist, I appreciate picture books with substance. It’s also important to me to write stories children want to read, and humor is a big part of that. One afternoon I sat down and tried to think of the most absurd thing I could. It ended up being a fish wearing pants!

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

CD: The most enjoyable part was creating Fish’s expressions. I wanted to ensure that readers could empathize with Fish’s feelings during their journey to self-expression!

The most challenging part was reminding myself that octopuses have eight legs and not ten like a squid, haha!

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

SS: I seriously can’t draw, so seeing the artwork come to life was like magic. It’s so much fun thinking up something in your own mind and then seeing how someone else imagines it.

I wrote most of I Need Pants! in one afternoon, but the ending was a challenge. I wrote it, rewrote it, revised it, and rewrote it again until, months later, it finally landed where I wanted.

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

CD: I have always loved aquatic life, so when I heard that I would be illustrating these adorable characters underwater, I was so excited! Most of my inspiration is derived from a lot of the media that I watched growing up, namely Spongebob. To this day, I can quote many episodes.

OKB: Susan, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

SS: I hope I Need Pants! will help children show up for themselves and whatever gives them joy, even if it’s different from someone else. I want children to feel free to embrace who they are, and to support others to do the same.

OKB: Cailin, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

CD: I hope that readers will be able to wear their own “pants” and share their pants-moments with those who care about them.

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

SS: I grew up in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It’s known for children’s literature because of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne of Green Gables had a huge presence during my childhood. We literally learned the songs from the play in music class at school. I can still sing most of them—just don’t ask me to do it in public!

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

CD: I collect Pokémon cards in four languages: English, French, Korean, and Japanese!