15 Favorite Books for 2 Year-Olds

Two-year-olds love their books. They have many that are on constant repeat. But, what are the best books for 2-year-olds? Many of these books for toddlers have been read at least 100 times when my kids were two.

I love to create these book lists by age for readers to help you find books that will be great fits for each stage of listening development.

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The Best Books for 2-Year-Olds

Books for kids in this age bracket span from board books to more elaborate picture books.  It is so amazing to see the attention span of a two-year-old develop over the course of the year.  We will start the list with the shorter board books and move our way up to more sophisticated titles.

Board Books For Two Year Olds

Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills is by far our favorite Duck and Goose book.  It is so simple, but so engaging.  The two birds would like a pumpkin and set out to find one.  They look in a variety of places before Thistle suggests the pumpkin patch!  My son used to drawi pictures of duck and goose and tell stories about the two characters daily. (one of my son’s favorites)

Grace Lin has a wonderful series of board books that feature different seasons and math concepts.  They are part of the Story Telling Math series.  Check out Up to My Knees!, The Last Marshmallow, What Will Fit? and Circle! Sphere!

When my son turned two, he loved all Sandra Boynton books especially Happy Birthday, Little Pookie.  In the book, the daddy makes piggy pancakes for a birthday breakfast.  Ever since my son has listened to the book, he has asked for his daddy to make piggy pancakes for him every Saturday. Even as teenagers, they still like when Dad makes them a piggy pancake from time to time. Boynton’s books are great for the 0-2 crowd! (one of my son’s favorites)

Otis by Loren Long is a gorgeously illustrated book about a friendly tractor who is pushed aside when a shiny new tractor is introduced to the farm.   But, when Otis saves the day, he’s value is rediscovered.  We’ve also enjoyed Otis and the Tornado and Otis and the Puppy.  (one of my son’s favorites)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin is a rhythmic tale of the letters of the alphabet climbing up a coconut tree.  When all the little letters fall down, their mamas and papas, uncles and aunts are there to help to them up.  Did the little letters learn their lesson?  This books inspired lots of alphabet activities in our house. (one of my son’s favorites)

Monster Toys and Monsters Go  by Daisy Hirst are playfulness combined with early literacy learning. ⁣
⁣These two books both focus on beginning sounds. Each monster’s name begins with the activity they are doing or toy they are playing with. ⁣

Little ones will love all the interactive elements of Big Green Garage by Jen Arena.  Get ready for the car repairs at the garage.  You can even lift the garage door on the front cover.

Picture Books for 2-Year-Old Toddlers

Meet baby animals and learn how they move alongside children moving in the same way. Big bold photographs make this one a book kids will enjoy over and over. Check out Animals Move by Jane Whittingham.

Bee Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park is one of my favorites on the list. It’s a wonderful read-aloud sure to capture the toddler audience’s attention.  Plus, it has a yummy recipe in the back of the book.

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush by Jane Cabrera walks children through their day from morning until bedtime. Cabera also has SEVERAL other books to sing along to including The Bear Went Over the Mountain and Ten in the Bed.

I think I enjoyed Snowmen at Work by the Buehners just as much as my son did.  The illustrations are so vibrant and fun.  We were on a big snowmen kick one winter so this one was in the rotation quite a bit.  It’s a story about a child who wonders what snowmen do at night and looks at possible jobs they may hold.  We also enjoyed Snowmen at Night and Snowmen at Christmas. (one of my son’s favorites)

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin has rhythm and rhyme.  Two qualities that are important in books for young children.  We loved most of the Pete the Cat books, but this is the one that I most often hear my son recite lines from!  As Pete travels down the street his white shoes get dirty when he steps in blueberries, mud, and more!  But, does Pete worry?  No, he just keeps singing his song! (one of my son’s favorites)

I’m not sure what the fascination is with ducks, but my son loved books about the water fowl!  Duck on a Bike by David Shannon is a silly story about a duck who convinces all the other animals on the farm to go for a bike ride.  If you have a duck lover too, we also recommend Super Duck by Jez Alborough. (one of my son’s favorites)

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson is the story of animals who gather for a party in bear’s cave while he sleeps.  When he awakes, he is startled and disappointed that he has nothing to contribute to the party.  But, his friends point out that he does have a contribution to make!  We also enjoyed all the other stories about Bear including Bear Wants More, Bear Feels Sick, Bear Feels Scared, and Bear Stays Up for Christmas.  We’ve enjoyed most of Karma Wilson’s stories! (one of my son’s favorites)

Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go will be a title that we keep forever!  My son was a late talker (26 months) and this is the book that sparked the light bulb for his speaking!  One evening, we were on the page where all the cars run over nails in the road.  He pointed to the page and said, “flat tire”.  The next day he was saying everything under the sun!  I will admit that I’ve hid the book a few times because it is very long and there is so much happening on each page!  We easily spent 30 minutes with the book in one sitting. (one of my son’s favorites)

*If you are interested in reading more about my son’s vocabulary development, check out my post, Vocabulary Learning (Lessons from my 2 Year-Old).

Printable List of Best Books for a 2-Year-Old

Grab a printable list of the books shared above.  Just click the button below to download.

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*This post first appeared on Growing Book by Book 11/4/13 and has since been updated.