SATA
ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: I Need Pants!
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://susansweetbooks.com/
CITY: Toronto
STATE:
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Children: two.
EDUCATION:Holds Ph.D. (clinical child psychology).
ADDRESS
CAREER
Psychologist and writer. Has worked as a child psychologist in schools, hospitals, and communities.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2025, review of I Need Pants!
School Library Journal, December, 2024, Louie Lauer, review of I Need Pants!, p. 115.
ONLINE
Owlkids Books website, https://owlkidsbooks.com/ (April 1, 2025), “Creator Corner: Author Susan Sweet and Illustrator Cailin Doherty.”
Susan Sweet website, https://susansweetbooks.com (August 6, 2025).
It's nice to meet you!
I've always been a private person, but I love real connection, which is probably why I became a psychologist. So here goes. There are a few details below not even my close friends know.
A bit about my name
I didn't make it up (although I get asked that fairly often). There have been many jokes and comments about it over the years. A few that stand out are, "Susan Sour" (from a boy who didn't agree with me in elementary school) and, "You sound like you should be in a girl band" (strangely, this was quite recent). Mostly, though, my name has been a great conversation starter and, as a child psychologist, I've found it helps put children at ease, which is a wonderful thing.
A bit about my life
I grew up in Prince Edward Island, Canada, which means I've had a lot of Anne of Green Gables in my life. I never realized what a beautiful place I was living until I had to leave for graduate school. Since then, I've lived in Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto, but I still go back to PEI as often as I can.
I have a Ph.D. in clinical child psychology, which means I spent many years in school. Since graduating, I've worked in the community, hospitals, and schools. I've also gained two children and two cats along the way. My children are the great joy of my life. The cats are clearly in charge. We all know and accept this, as most cat owners do.
My journey as an author started out slowly. I always knew I loved to write. In grade 6, I had a short story published as part of a collection of stories and poems by children from PEI. Unfortunately, it was about a superhorse named Susan. If you ever come across it (which I don't think you will), be kind. The first time I submitted a picture book text was during my internship. It was about a pig that wished it could be another animal but eventually decides to be itself. Then I got super busy with life for a while, but eventually I started writing seriously and consistently and, many years later, here I am.
Creator Corner: Author Susan Sweet and Illustrator Cailin Doherty
April 1, 2025
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!
SWEET, Susan. I Need Pants! illus. by Cailin Doherty. 24p. Owlkids. Apr. 2025. Tr $18.95. ISBN 9781771476690.
PreS-Gr 2--In a premise that will surely delight children, Fish has decided that they need pants. When Octopus gently explains that Fish doesn't have legs, making pants unnecessary, Fish thinks of other clothing they might need. Maybe Fish needs a tutu for ballet, slippers to keep warm at night, or ribbons in their hair. Each time, Octopus explains why those items aren't needed. But when Fish finally gets a pair of pants, Octopus realizes that Fish may have been right all along. This silly and simple story features dialogue between Fish and Octopus that is engaging and clear, with directional lines that help young readers identify the speakers. The repetitive structure and easy sentences are easy for emerging readers to grasp, reinforcing the playful back-and-forth of Fish and Octopus's conversation. Visually, the book features a mix of monochromatic backgrounds and ocean scenes; while charming, this approach may confuse literal-minded early readers, who might wonder why the ocean is suddenly pink or green. Nevertheless, with a funny setup and a repetitive structure, this would be a solid choice for shared reading or independent practice. VERDICT Funny and simple, this book will be a story hour hit with children, as well as an option for early independent reading.--Louie Lauer
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
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Lauer, Louie. "SWEET, Susan. I Need Pants!" School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 12, Dec. 2024, pp. 115+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A836879450/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=49bf3af2. Accessed 18 June 2025.
Sweet, Susan I NEED PANTS! Owlkids Books (Children's None) $18.95 4, 15 ISBN: 9781771476690
A sea dweller muses on the wonders of clothing.
Deep on the ocean floor, a golden fish definitively declares, "I need pants." A wise octopus friend rebuffs the idea: "You do not have legs. You do not need pants." So the fish considers other possibilities: "Then I need slippers--fuzzy bunny slippers to keep me warm at night." Or "a pretty pink tutu. I cannot possibly do ballet without one." The octopus says no to each option, with increasingly frenetic tentacle waving. "You do not have feet. You do not need slippers." "Fish swim. They do not do ballet." After the octopus rejects rainbow hair ribbons ("You know you don't have hair, right?"), mittens ("You have fins, not hands"), diamond rings ("No fingers, no ring"), and even underwear, the exasperated fish cries: "Well, I must need a raincoat! It is very wet around here!!!" Sweet's quick, staccato text could spark an intriguing discussion of wants versus needs and will encourage readers to embrace their own individual styles. The thickly lined undersea world is full of bright, saturated color, and the expressive protagonists are utterly endearing. Happily, the octopus comes around and even partakes in some fashionable fun.
A fin-tastic look at individuality.(Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Sweet, Susan: I NEED PANTS!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A825128337/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f0e253a4. Accessed 18 June 2025.