Emi Gerczak checked the mail every day; her wish came true last week
When eight-year-old Emi Gerczak checked her mailbox lately, she was hoping for something extra special: her very own artwork published in Spider magazine.
That wish came true last week.
The A2STEAM third grader’s drawing “Cat” was selected for publication in the Spider’s Corner section of the September/October 2025 issue, chosen from submissions by young readers across the country who were asked to draw a cat, dog, or other pet.
For Emi, whose aunt gifted her a subscription to what was then Cricket Ask magazine (now Cricket Spider) a few years ago, seeing her work in print represents the culmination of months of anticipation.
Ever since, she looked forward to getting her magazine in the mail.
The artwork contest corner has always been one of Emi’s favorite sections. She and her sister Joji enjoy doing Art For Kids Hubs on YouTube with their dad, Mitch Gerczak and Emi takes pride in her drawing skills.
“Seeing drawings from other kids around the country has always interested her,” says her mother, Tami Stevenson. “Also, I think seeing her name, age, and drawing published seemed pretty exciting to Emi, so she kept her eyes out for a contest theme that she would be interested in creating a drawing for submission.”
When the “Pet Pals” theme appeared, Emi decided to submit a cat drawing. Her reasoning was practical: “Well, cats are easier to draw,” she explained when asked why she chose a feline subject over the family dog.
Even her color choice came down to logistics. When her mom asked why she picked gray for her cat, Emi responded, “I wanted to draw an orange cat, but our orange marker ran out.” She used a combination of Sharpie, gel pens, marker, and pencil to create her artwork.
After her parents helped submit the drawing in February, Emi began her daily mailbox vigil.
“To temper her expectations, my husband and I basically just kept telling her that probably lots of kids submit drawings and the magazine can’t publish everyone’s artwork,” her mom recalled. “We were pretty sure it wouldn’t get published, so we were pretty surprised when I received an email at the end of July saying that it was going to be published in the September/October issue.”
The family decided to keep the good news secret. “We decided not to tell Emi, so that she could open the mailbox and find the drawing in the magazine herself,” said Stevenon. “Needless to say, she waited many months and was pretty excited when she saw her drawing!”
Emi’s dad had his own witty take on the achievement: “I’m just glad that Emi used backing paper when drawing with Sharpies and that none of our furniture was stained in the process.”
As for Emi, she’s already started on her next drawing to submit to Spider, with hope that wishes can come true more than once.
Designed for kids ages 6 to 9, Spider magazine features articles on science, technology, history, and culture, along with short stories, poems, and activities created by acclaimed children’s authors, artists, and photographers worldwide.
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