NEW HARTFORD - He always wanted to write a book and had an idea in mind. Steven Jon Heerts initially considered a theme other 8-year-olds might find interesting.

"I was thinking about writing a story about a bug that finds a rock, and he tries everything to get the rock to break and it won't."

Historic events in New Hartford changed everything. A tornado in May severely damaged dozens of homes and dropped an evergreen near the family's house. In June, Beaver Creek escaped its banks, reaching a record level in the city.

The boy's back yard filled with dirty water.

"A little over my head," Steven Jon said.

Jason and Sarah Heerts moved the family - themselves, Steven Jon and Sam, their younger son - to Cedar Falls. Jason's parents, Steve and Doris Heerts, live next door. They, too, were forced out of their home because of the flood.

The two events left an impression on Steven Jon, which he later discussed with his grandmother over ice cream cones.

"We've never been through that stuff before," he said.

Doris Heerts, a public school teacher in Waterloo, suggested an outlet: Perhaps he should write. Steven Jon got a pencil and paper, later settling on his simple assessment for the title, "Oh, What a Summer."

One Sunday afternoon, as I was going out to play,

A giant wind came and tried to blow me away.

I sure was scared, and went downstairs to the basement in my house.

It was dark and creepy, but I was safe there, just like a little mouse.

Steven Jon's illustration shows a boy headed indoors to join two people, his grandparents, below a staircase.

"And I drew a little mouse on that page."

The book only has nine pages but offers an 8-year-old's insight into two of the largest natural disasters in state history.

"The brevity with which he writes is amazing because when he talks, you get the whole story," his grandfather, Steve Heerts, said.

Steven Jon, for instance, remembers hearing firefighters warning the neighborhood.

"'There's a tornado on the ground. It's going to hit town in about one minute.' … I was pretty scared. I thought the tornado was going to take our house. But it didn't."

The flood did.

… It rained more and more and the river grew and grew. Grandpa called home to Dad who said, "It is not safe here for Grandma and you."

Steven Jon was in Minnesota at a family event. His father, Jason, stayed home to maintain a sump pump working overtime.

Steve and Doris had lived in the house for 35 years before selling to their son and daughter-in-law. They are familiar with high water events in New Hartford.

"When Jason asked us what to do, we prepared him as we had prepared," Doris said.

"And that was woefully inadequate," Steve added.

A torrent passed through Steven Jon's home, eroding a hole 3 feet deep in the driveway. Boats on York Street splashed water into Doris and Steve's front door.

When the flood eventually receded, a persistent kind of mud coated everything.

"We couldn't get it off with just a regular hose," Steven Jon said.

What my eyes saw was hard to believe. Everything at my house was muddy and covered with black yuck. We washed and cleaned with family and friends, all the time hoping the rain would end.

"Sam really didn't help much. He's only 2," Steven Jon said.

Students in New Hartford will begin classes Monday. Volunteers and district employees saved the school, a prominent feature in the small community. Steven Jon will attend, though he'll be commuting from Cedar Falls for many weeks.

He looks forward to coming home permanently soon. Contractors will raise the house 3 feet and redo the interior.

"I'll get to be in my house again. And I'll get to see my friends again. I'll get to see my friend Hailey's house. Unless they burn it down."

Jason recognizes his oldest son went through a frightening and difficult period.

"The tornado affected more of his mind. The flood affected more of his stuff," Jason said.

My house still looks sad. And I get a little sad each day.

But I am safe in my new home with grandpa and grandma not far away.

Steven Jon would like to find a publisher for "Oh, What a Summer." He surprised his grandfather, though, by saying he didn't want to spend potential profits on himself.

"He said, 'No, I want to use the money to give to the library and buy new books,'" Steve said.

"So far that's nothing. But he has a good heart."

The young author already has an idea for his next book.

"Yeah, that one about the bug."

Contact Dennis Magee at

(319) 291-1451 or

dennis.magee@wcfcourier.com.