I’m always in awe when I read transitional books—stories that bridge the gap between picture books and longer middle-grade works. The authors of these titles face a difficult task: creating accessible tales that, using limited word counts and simple vocabulary, will still captivate children. When they succeed, the results are pure magic. The following selections, a mix of early readers, chapter books, and shorter middle-grade titles, will set youngsters on the road to becoming confident and passionate readers.

Born Naughty: My Childhood in China, written by Jin Wang with Tony Johnston, illustrated by Anisi Baigude (Anne Schwartz/Random, May 7), is an aptly named memoir; Wang’s chronicle of growing up in a small village in Inner Mongolia in the 1980s is filled with tales of mischief. She’s matter-of-fact about the harsh conditions her family endured—their one-room mud house, water scarcity—yet young Jin’s indominable spirit permeates the work; readers will find this a fascinating introduction to the genre.

Translated from Japanese, Akiko Miyakoshi’s Little Shrew (Kids Can, June 4) follows an earnest creature who leads a simple, largely solitary existence—days spent working an office job, evenings devoted to doing chores, both punctuated by small, unexpected joys such as solving his Rubik’s Cube. Miyakoshi has an eye for the seemingly mundane details that add up to a richly rewarding life, while her graceful, finely honed illustrations depict an endearingly tiny anthropomorphized protagonist, one of the few animals in a world of humans.

The protagonist of Liz Garton Scanlon’s Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple, illustrated by Dung Ho (Knopf, June 11), is thrilled about the start of third grade—until she meets her new teacher. Dour Mrs. Stumper, frustrated at Bibsy’s talkativeness, often moves the paper apple bearing Bibsy’s name to the bottom of the class bulletin board—an embarrassing punishment for a child who’s always considered herself an enthusiastic student. Scanlon has crafted a compelling portrait of a sensitive, thoughtful youngster who stays true to herself even as she confronts the harsh reality that some adults can’t see kids as they truly are.

Atinuke’s Beti and the Little Round House (Candlewick, Oct. 8), illustrated by Emily Hughes, centers on a young girl and her family who live off the land, building a forest home out of trees, earth, and grass, picking berries, and raising domestic animals. Atinuke and Hughes have conjured up an idyllic world. Beti has the freedom to try new things and make mistakes—in an especially memorable episode, she figures out how to refill the family’s water jug—though she’s always bolstered by a tightknit and loving community of friends and neighbors.

Kid lit is filled with saccharine stories of curmudgeonly characters seeing the error of their ways; this isn’t one of them. Kiah Thomas’ Lone Wolf Goes to School (Neal Porter/Holiday House, Oct. 8) follows a lupine misanthrope who goes in search of solitude but finds people everywhere he turns. Refreshingly, Thomas brings the tale to a subversively funny conclusion that sees her protagonist remaining his cranky self; K-Fai Steele ramps up the humor with illustrations of the bug-eyed Wolf chafing at his cheerfully oblivious peers.

Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.