When I was very young, around 5 years old, my dad read The Marvelous Land of Oz to me as a bed time story. This was the first and most successful sequel to the American classic, The Wizard of Oz. It was also, I now realize, my first transgender story. Throughout the story the reader is lead to believe that Tip, the young boy hero, is well, a boy and a very rough and tumble adventuresome one at that. But at the end Tip is transformed into ***gasp*** a girl! At age 5 I didn't see that coming and it was pretty unsetting. I mean Tip had to overcome so much adversity and bravely face so many challenges and what was his reward for all that? After expressing shock and horror at discovering he was really a girl he very reluctantly agreed to be transformed back. Well actually he had no chose in the matter. Tip was placed into a deep dreamless sleep and when he awoke his pee-pee and other boy part were gone! How was I suppose to fall asleep after hearing that?

But what set Tip's adventures of self discovery into motion was when he decided to runaway from home and his witch mom who was named Mombi. The "boy" had displeased Mombi so she informed him that on the following morning she was going to use her magic to transform him into a marble statue and place that statue in front of her house as a decoration for her flower garden. That made quite an impression on my young mind as well. I was familiar with The Neapalatan Fisherboy and so I wondered if Mombi was planing on turning Tip into a naked statue with all is stuff showing. Can you imagine the humiliation of being naked in the front yard and, as a statue, unable to hide your pee-pee! I think that book may have irreversibly warped my young mind.