Flowers for a Vinok Roses for a Babushka Poppies for a Grave by Solomon Skalozub

In a small village lives a little girl, who is not a little girl, while he learns to embroider and cook like all other little girls he dreams of being a great warrior just like his tato. One day after the little girls brother runs into the woods after an argument, the little girl knows that the woods are dangerous and he rushes after his brother only to find that Baba Yaga has captured him. The little girl is terrified but knows that he must save his brother at all costs and in his bravery Baba Yaga declares that the little girl is no longer a girl but a man and he will become a great warrior as well just as the little boy had hoped for. 

Oh, my heart. I love fairy tales and folklore, probably more than any other type of story, and to create a new fairy tale with a transman as a hero? This was just absolutely brilliant. Honestly, as the mom of transman I just couldn't have picked a better book to read! It's not just that though, you can tell how important this was to Skalozub, the care put into this and in the beginning especially the fear of being judged was so obvious and yet it still ends up becoming a celebration of being who you were meant to be. Even though the ending was sad, I was still happy for everything that Amvrosiy had in his life. His family, his husband, and wife, he lived a full and happy life, and that is genuinely all you can ask for. 

And look, maybe I'm biased because I am the mom of a transman but this has definitely earned a special place on my shelves.