Creator Corner: Author Naseem Hrab and Illustrator Kelly Collier
Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent and upcoming books.
Naseem Hrab and Kelly Collier are the author and illustrator of the Snail & Stump series. In this interview, Naseem and Kelly discuss their new book How to Be Brave Like a Snail, and the joys and challenges of making the book. This is the third book in the series, publishing October 14, 2025!
Owlkids Books: Naseem, what are Snail and Stump up to in the third book of the series?
Naseem Hrab: I love exploring different kinds of bravery, especially everyday kinds like speaking up, sharing our feelings, and standing up for what we believe in. So, in How to Be Brave Like a Snail, Snail needs courage to help him enter the big paper airplane contest, and Stump needs to find the courage to tell Snail that he’s upset that Snail did better than him in the contest. Even though there’s a bit of friction between them, they find a way to work through their feelings—and even let them go!
Owlkids Books: Kelly, how did illustrating the third book in the series differ from illustrating the first two books?
Kelly Collier: Overall, illustrating the third books interiors was a little quicker as the world and colors are all established. There were challenges though with consistency, as we need to make sure details in the first and second book stay the same.
OKB: Naseem, what was the most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life? What was the most challenging part?
NH: The most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life was spending more time with Snail, Stump, and Kelly Collier, the illustrator of the series. I absolutely love collaborating with all three of them. The most challenging part of writing the book was showing Snail and Stump as having some conflict—even I find it hard to watch them have a bit of static!
OKB: Kelly, what was the most enjoyable part of illustrating this book? What was the most challenging part?
KC: The most enjoyable part was just spending time with the characters again. They are so much fun to draw and it’s fun to see how they are growing and changing. By far, the cover for this book was the most challenging. It was hard to capture what Brave is in a single image that works with the messaging in the book.
OKB: Naseem and Kelly, do you have a favorite moment (or spread) in the book?
NH: My absolute favorite moment in the book is getting to see angry Stump! I’m not sure how Kelly made him look SO angry and SO cute at the same time.
KC: I think my favorite is the sequence when Stump is helping Snail prepare for the big airplane contest!
OKB: Naseem and Kelly, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?
NH: Sharing our true feelings (especially if they’re prickly) with kindness and vulnerability can be incredibly challenging even with the people we feel the safest with. I hope that this story helps readers of all ages realize that not only is it healthy to express our feelings, but when we express our feelings, we make it easier for others to do the same.
KC: That being vulnerable and sharing your feelings is a skill that will help them in all relationships in life.
OKB: Naseem and Kelly, is there anything that helps you feel brave in a new experience?
NH: If you’re someone who isn’t the best at change, trying new things can feel like you’re working out muscles you’ve never felt before. So, to be brave, I always tell myself that the experience will probably make my “change muscles” stronger, give me information about whether the experience turns out to be one I’d like to have again, and if it ends up being one I don’t like, maybe I won’t have to do it again.
KC: Talking about my feelings always makes me feel better!
Thank you so much Naseem and Kelly for taking the time to do this interview and creating a wonderful book! We hope readers enjoy How to Be Brave Like a Snail as much as we did!
Grab your copy today!
