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Once Upon a Western #3.7
Who Lived in a Shoe
A beloved Mother Goose rhyme reimagined...
Levi Dalton is disappointed. He'd had high hopes for this visit from Uncle Matthew's old cavalry friend, Mr. Jones. Even though Mr. Jones brought along his wife, children, and a sister-in-law, surely he would have time to reminisce with Uncle Matthew about their time in the war. Then Levi would get to hear the kinds of exciting stories his father used to tell.
But Levi's little cousins and the Jones children keep causing mischievous problems, not to mention the trouble Levi's new dog gets into. It seems like Uncle Matthew and their guests will spend the whole visit cleaning up messes, rescuing ruined meals, and disciplining children. Will Levi ever get to hear the stories of glory he's been craving? Find out in this short story follow-up to One Bad Apple.
Levi Dalton is disappointed. He'd had high hopes for this visit from Uncle Matthew's old cavalry friend, Mr. Jones. Even though Mr. Jones brought along his wife, children, and a sister-in-law, surely he would have time to reminisce with Uncle Matthew about their time in the war. Then Levi would get to hear the kinds of exciting stories his father used to tell.
But Levi's little cousins and the Jones children keep causing mischievous problems, not to mention the trouble Levi's new dog gets into. It seems like Uncle Matthew and their guests will spend the whole visit cleaning up messes, rescuing ruined meals, and disciplining children. Will Levi ever get to hear the stories of glory he's been craving? Find out in this short story follow-up to One Bad Apple.
41 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2022
20 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Kovaciny
26 books206 followersBorn only a few miles from where Jesse James robbed his first train, Rachel Kovaciny has loved the Old West all her life. She spends her days telling stories to her husband and their three homeschooled children. In her free time, Rachel writes a column on Old West history for the Prairie Times, reads, blogs, watches movies, and daydreams.
Visit www.rachelkovaciny.com to sign up for Rachel Kovaciny’s newsletter and receive a FREE copy of her Sleeping Beauty retelling, the novella The Man on the Buckskin Horse.
Visit www.rachelkovaciny.com to sign up for Rachel Kovaciny’s newsletter and receive a FREE copy of her Sleeping Beauty retelling, the novella The Man on the Buckskin Horse.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 20, 2021
Well, that was the cutest thing I've read in ages. After a week of cramming for classes and battling colds, it was so pleasant to start my morning off with this story.
Levi is my absolute favorite character. I love how even through this short story you can tell his personality so clearly through his narration. I want to give him a hug, even though he probably would think I was treating him like a little kid. And we can't have any of that, now can we? He wants to hear stories of glory in battles, whereas I see the glory in the simple life his uncle leads. Raising seven kids all thrown at you at once is only a task for those with the most grit!
I have a habit of not reading the synopsis for a story, so I was quite surprised when a certain character showed up. In fact, I squealed out loud, because Mr. Jones is another favorite, second only to Levi. I also now love Uncle Matthew. He can seem a little gruff, but he's just quiet, and the actions of his every move speak volumes.
This short story felt like a picnic, as it had a smorgasbord to choose from. Potatoes with a copious amounts of humor, sweetness accompanying the biscuits--and please pass the deep messages, on the left of the salt.
Levi is my absolute favorite character. I love how even through this short story you can tell his personality so clearly through his narration. I want to give him a hug, even though he probably would think I was treating him like a little kid. And we can't have any of that, now can we? He wants to hear stories of glory in battles, whereas I see the glory in the simple life his uncle leads. Raising seven kids all thrown at you at once is only a task for those with the most grit!
I have a habit of not reading the synopsis for a story, so I was quite surprised when a certain character showed up. In fact, I squealed out loud, because Mr. Jones is another favorite, second only to Levi. I also now love Uncle Matthew. He can seem a little gruff, but he's just quiet, and the actions of his every move speak volumes.
This short story felt like a picnic, as it had a smorgasbord to choose from. Potatoes with a copious amounts of humor, sweetness accompanying the biscuits--and please pass the deep messages, on the left of the salt.
'Plain food tastes just as good as fancy food if you're hungry or if you have plenty of laughter to season it with.'
November 19, 2021
4.5 stars rounded up for this companion story to One Bad Apple, which connects the characters from the Snow White-inspired story with the Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, as two of the dozen sisters appear here on their way to meet a third sister, stopping to visit the Dalton kids living with their uncle in The Shoe, a funny-looking house they inhabit.
There's plenty of children shenanigans, a glimpse into their uncle's former life when he bares his soul briefly, and a hint to a future romance that made me curious to see develop further. It's quite short and heartwarming, and so very sweet! I like how Rachel finds ways to interconnect her entire repertoire of retellings in some way, so creative yet also plausible because she never forces their meetings.
There's plenty of children shenanigans, a glimpse into their uncle's former life when he bares his soul briefly, and a hint to a future romance that made me curious to see develop further. It's quite short and heartwarming, and so very sweet! I like how Rachel finds ways to interconnect her entire repertoire of retellings in some way, so creative yet also plausible because she never forces their meetings.
January 21, 2022
My favorite of Rachel's "Once Upon a Western" short stories so far. I ship Miss Dolores and Uncle Matthew very much. <3
November 18, 2021
Reading something Rachel Kovaciny has written, be it a blog post, a short story, or a novel, is always a treat. And Who Lived in a Shoe is no exception! This little story made me laugh a couple times--and it also warmed my heart. So fun to hang out with several beloved characters once again. A must-read for fans of the Once Upon a Western series!
September 26, 2023
How did I miss the fact that this existed for so long??? You know I'm going to take as much of this series as I can get, especially if it's about Levi and the gang!
This one was very cute and entirely believable for anyone who knows kids. XD Oh, and I totally missed the connection to a certain other book in the series until it smacked me right across the face, and then...I might have actually squealed. :D Really loved the way it wrapped up too. ;)
4.5 stars
Content--mentions of war and killing; slight mention of drunkenness
This one was very cute and entirely believable for anyone who knows kids. XD Oh, and I totally missed the connection to a certain other book in the series until it smacked me right across the face, and then...I might have actually squealed. :D Really loved the way it wrapped up too. ;)
4.5 stars
Content--mentions of war and killing; slight mention of drunkenness
December 30, 2023
I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I picked up this book, but I ended up really liking it! It was so much fun and I loved that while it was a fairy tale retelling, it did not include magic or anything like that. It's not Christian, but it's clean and fun, and now I want to read more about these characters.
September 27, 2024
This was a cute short story. It would be a great pick for older kids.
September 17, 2024
4.7 stars (5/10 hearts). Yessssss, this was so fun!! I was THRILLED to see the old friends (IYKYK) pop up—I’d never expected to see them again, and it was such an unexpected but cool connection. And such a small story, this really had it all: a ton of humour, sweet family & friend relationships, a thread of romance, and a couple good lessons. It completed
One Bad Apple
and
Run, Run
so well, and it’s just the perfect way to close with the Daltons’ story.
A Favourite Quote: “I suppose to a boy your age, war sounds like a lot of glory and noise and fun. I suppose it sounded that way to Jedediah and your uncle and your father once too.”
“It’s like anything else,” Mrs. Jones said. “Stories can make a thing sound thrilling or wonderful, like a horse race, let’s say. But stories don’t always tell you about all the hard work of training a racehorse, or how often you’ll fall off, maybe even break a bone. Someone who’s put in all that work, who’s broken those bones? He might not talk about that part. Maybe because he knows you’d be disappointed. Or maybe because talking about it means he’d have to remember it.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “You’re right. My hands are full. More than full.” Uncle Matthew glanced over at where I sat on the ground by the corner of the house, my back against the wall. Laura was leaning up against me. Jacob sat on my other side, both his little brothers falling asleep on his lap. “More than full,” he repeated.
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “You can’t blame this on my dog! You know he chases everything that’ll run! You knew that when you got him for me! And anyhow, he can’t open gates! He might be chasing them, but he didn’t let them out, you know he didn’t.”
Uncle Matthew nodded. “I know. He didn’t.”
“Then who did?” Mrs. Jones and Miss Dolores asked together.
Mr. Jones sighed. “I’m afraid Matt did. It seems Henry and Caleb didn’t believe he knew how to climb up a fence and open a gate. Well, he proved he did.”
*I received a complimentary copy of Prairie Tales: Volume One for promotional purposes, in which collection this story is found. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*
A Favourite Quote: “I suppose to a boy your age, war sounds like a lot of glory and noise and fun. I suppose it sounded that way to Jedediah and your uncle and your father once too.”
“It’s like anything else,” Mrs. Jones said. “Stories can make a thing sound thrilling or wonderful, like a horse race, let’s say. But stories don’t always tell you about all the hard work of training a racehorse, or how often you’ll fall off, maybe even break a bone. Someone who’s put in all that work, who’s broken those bones? He might not talk about that part. Maybe because he knows you’d be disappointed. Or maybe because talking about it means he’d have to remember it.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “You’re right. My hands are full. More than full.” Uncle Matthew glanced over at where I sat on the ground by the corner of the house, my back against the wall. Laura was leaning up against me. Jacob sat on my other side, both his little brothers falling asleep on his lap. “More than full,” he repeated.
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “You can’t blame this on my dog! You know he chases everything that’ll run! You knew that when you got him for me! And anyhow, he can’t open gates! He might be chasing them, but he didn’t let them out, you know he didn’t.”
Uncle Matthew nodded. “I know. He didn’t.”
“Then who did?” Mrs. Jones and Miss Dolores asked together.
Mr. Jones sighed. “I’m afraid Matt did. It seems Henry and Caleb didn’t believe he knew how to climb up a fence and open a gate. Well, he proved he did.”
*I received a complimentary copy of Prairie Tales: Volume One for promotional purposes, in which collection this story is found. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*
November 17, 2021
I love this sweet short story! I love the little hiccups that cause mischief and laughter. I love the cute and shy flirtations between two of the characters.
Rachel does a great job using little details to tie this story into her full length books.
Overall, great little story and I highly recommend it.
Rachel does a great job using little details to tie this story into her full length books.
Overall, great little story and I highly recommend it.
January 31, 2022
A simple short that makes a heartwarming companion to Dancing and Doughnuts, One Bad Apple, and Run, Run.
While it wouldn't be necessary to read those previous stories first to understand this one, already caring about the characters who return for this quick tale is what really makes it interesting.
While it wouldn't be necessary to read those previous stories first to understand this one, already caring about the characters who return for this quick tale is what really makes it interesting.
February 16, 2022
This book is only about 40 pages, but I appreciated the chance to revisit characters from Rachel Kovaciny’s other works. I appreciate the mishaps and very human sentiments. Someone is always stretching and growing.
In this story, characters from One Bad Apple meet up with a character from Dancing with Doughnuts, so it brought back happy memories for me.
Very warm hearted, sweet read.
In this story, characters from One Bad Apple meet up with a character from Dancing with Doughnuts, so it brought back happy memories for me.
Very warm hearted, sweet read.
July 2, 2025
Uma narrativa de encontros e reencontros, que nos fala de amizades e laços familiares, e possíveis futuros relacionamentos. Gostei imensamente da forma como o protagonista se refere às tarefas do dia a dia de uma pequena fazenda, sem discriminação de gênero. E quase me mato de rir das confusões aprontadas pela criançada e pelos bichos, em especial o cachorro. Muito bom.
November 13, 2025
A good short story, or a piece of a story. There’s enough here to allow you to finish the story on your own so it doesn’t feel lacking. Orphaned children are living with an uncle after the civil war. A visit from friends brings hope for a brighter future.
July 30, 2022
The Shoe
Humorous, lively, lots of children, family, friends gathering together to share times past and gone and the making of new friends.
Humorous, lively, lots of children, family, friends gathering together to share times past and gone and the making of new friends.
December 24, 2024
This short story was cute, and though I've only read the short stories and one novella thus far, I like all the interconnectedness of the stories.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews