Looking for the best books for 2-year-old readers? We’ve got you covered, from interactive books to rhyming stories to books that will introduce new concepts to your youngest readers. Check out our favorites!
Reading to 2-Year-Olds is No Easy Feat!
Have you ever wondered why getting a toddler to sit through storytime is so challenging? Sometimes it feels harder than changing a newborn’s diaper with one hand tied behind your back while another toddler uses your weary body as a jungle gym.
The stuffed animals across the room always seem way more interesting than mom in the glider with a story in hand, as is the basket of laundry waiting to be folded in the hallway.
Sigh.
When my boys were toddlers, I often found myself beyond frustrated at storytime. Why wouldn’t my kids sit still and listen? Didn’t they love books as I did? What if this was an indication that they weren’t going to be readers??
Ok, so maybe I was a bit irrational. But I was a mom on a mission. I had to raise readers, and I had to start them young. And in order to help my kids fall in love with stories,
Tips for Discovering the BEST books for 2-year-olds
After lots of time spent searching and reading, I discovered some important things.
First, if I wanted to engage my kids in storytime, I had to find stories that were imaginative, adventurous, and creative. I had to make storytime rock.
Second, the more interactive the book was, the more likely my kids would sit down and read with me! Anything they could touch, shake, trace, or pull was a winner.
Third, the best books for two-year-olds offer repetition, rhyme, and awesome rhythm. When kids can chime in with the grownup reading to them and complete sentences in rhyming books, they feel empowered and excited!
Books for 2-Year-Olds Must Excite and Inspire Your Child
Slowly but surely, book by book, I began to discover which stories would engage my boys — and which would be stored away for a later date. Finally, I had shelves full of stories I knew would captivate my kiddos.
The following list of books for 2-year-olds are the stories that hooked my kids when they were toddlers — or they’re more recent publications I WISH I’d had on hand when my boys were younger. Why? Because they’re total winners!
I had so much fun making this list, and I hope you and your young readers love this list of the best books for 2-year-olds as much as we do.
RELATED: We’ve got a list of great books for 3-year-olds, too, so be sure to check it out!
Frequently Asked Questions
Any book that a little one can engage with is a great choice! Interactive books are awesome as they help bring stories to life. Our youngest readers love to touch, trace, pull, shake or lift tabs in books. Interactive books are also fantastic for supporting early literacy skills! Other great options include books with lots of repetition and rhyme.
Absolutely! Many 2-year-olds still love to put objects in their mouths and rip up anything they can get their hands on. Board books, with both their thick covers and pages, are much more durable than paperback or hardback stories, holding up to lots of chomping and tearing!
I will forever love Greg Pizzoli’s The Watermelon Seed for the way it made my kids laugh and laugh! It was always read-aloud gold in our house, and my students loved it as well. You can’t read it without giggling!
Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
Our Favorite Books for 2-Year-Olds
If you are looking for a book to make your little ones squeal with laughter, this is it. From the “chomp chomp” sounds to the fear of a watermelon seed growing within the tummy, to a great big final burp, this book makes our trio laugh out loud every single time. Bright, colorful illustrations and a zany story make this one of the very best books for 2-year-olds. For more great children’s books about food, click the link!
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I absolutely love a good rhythmic book. This adorable story has perfect rhyme, and delightful illustrations, and it introduces both colors and numbers. This is a fresh, modern take on One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. It’s a total joy and my new go-to gift for toddlers!
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This book was on constant rotation in our house. Simple, rhyming prose and adorable illustrations create a story my boys believed they could “read” on their own. There’s nothing better for instilling confidence in your budding bookworms! Babies love the sing-song rhythm, and big ones love showing off their skills as they turn the pages and “tell” the story to their parents. This is a must-have, unique board book for your bookshelves. It always surprises me that more people don’t know about this one, because it’s awesome! For our full review of Monkey and Me, click here!
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This is a board book version of the best-selling Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. It is a perfect, simple book to introduce toddlers to trail-blazing women who have accomplished greatness in their respective fields. A wonderful gift for a little girl!
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This was one of the first books my oldest wanted to read over and over again. It is the silly tale of a peddler, his caps, and a slew of naughty monkeys! We love it for its repetition, incorporation of color recognition, and because it’s so much fun to act out. Those darn monkeys make this classic an absolute must!
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Talk about innovation! This board book is an absolute treasure, one that, quite literally, radiates light. With simple prose and die-cut circles resembling stained glass, little ones will be mesmerized when holding this book to the light. The colors truly glow!
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The TouchThinkLearn books are, in my humble opinion, some of the best board books on the market. I adore their alphabet book for toddlers! First, the raised, die-cut pieces make this a tactile reading experience different from the other alphabet books out there. Second, the graphics are simple and bright. Thus, it brilliantly engages children on both visual and sensory levels. This is such an immersive way to learn ABCs. Amazing!
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Young readers are mesmerized by this story and the fact that as they lay their heads down to sleep, many nocturnal animals are just waking up to play! Toddlers will delight in making bats bob and possums prance with sturdy pull tabs. The beautiful color palette and lovely rhyming text make this board book a bedtime gem.
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This fabulous read-aloud will have your little ones begging for rereads just so you can give voice to the incredible onomatopoeia on every page. When Baby Izzie wakes at night with a startling “waaah!” she sets off a chain reaction, waking up both people and animals in the red brick building. Though the clattering sounds on each page wake folks on every floor, all of the neighbors eventually settle down again as soft noises lull them back to sleep. I love how this book so beautifully invites kids into the story, giving them voice as they move from the baby’s sharp wails to the gentle pah-pum, pah-pum of a mother’s heart. It’s a fantastic book for 2-year-olds to wind down a busy day, and Mora’s exquisite illustrations are a perfect match for Wynter’s rhythmic text, resulting in a bedtime masterpiece.
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Excavators, front loaders, motor graders, oh my! Everyone’s favorite childhood nursery rhyme, Old MacDonald had a Farm, gets a fresh twist in this adorable, sing-sing book. Here, the animals are driving construction equipment and working on a farm at Old MacDonald’s direction. The illustrations are lively and the book will have you and your child singing some new lyrics – such as “E-I-E-I-HOE!” – for hours on end.
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The premise is simple: a boy writes to the zoo and asks for a pet. The zoo proceeds to send him lots of animals that, for various reasons, don’t make the cut… until, of course, they send the perfect one. This book enhances toddler development in numerous ways. It gives little fingers various flaps to open, encourages them to learn the sounds and noises each animal makes, and provides loads of repetition which is a fabulous way to promote early literacy. You can’t beat this one!
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If you have a child who has a hard time sitting still during story time, she will absolutely love getting active and following along with the animals in this classic interactive board book. In this energetic story, giraffes can bend their necks, buffalos can raise their shoulders, and penguins can turn their heads. But can you do it? Kids will love listening to the ways in which various animals move their bodies and then try to mimic those movements. We can’t get enough of this one, and it’s a favorite among my students!
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I can’t tell you why there are so many toddlers who are totally obsessed with construction sites, big tractors, and diggers galore. But, alas, it’s a fact, and if you have one of these tractor-loving kiddos under your roof grab this book quickly as it will become a new bedtime favorite. With engaging illustrations, pitch-perfect rhyme, and a storyline that gets little readers ready to turn off their engines and close their eyes for the night, this one is an absolute must!
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This book is genius! Think of hiding a small object in one of your tightly-fisted palms and asking your kiddo to guess which hand the object is in. Well, Guess Which Hand is exactly that — in board book form with a wheel to turn and flaps to lift. This is one of my favorite interactive books for toddlers. As a result, it has become a go-to book for baby showers because of the joy and wonder it elicits in little ones!
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This is a darling friendship story for your littlest readers! The story begins as an elephant wakes up and feels awfully grumpy. Alas, a present outside his door reveals a fun new hat, and it brightens the elephant’s mood considerably. What follows is an intro to several more grumpy animals, each, in turn, made happier when the elephant and the others share their hats. This book perfectly illustrates the concepts of kindness and paying it forward, teaching even the youngest readers that their simple actions can brighten the world around them. For our full review of Hooray for Hat! click here!
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Oh, how we love this book! This is such a fun story to act out and get downright silly with. I’ll never forget my kids making goofy faces and pigeon-stepping around and around before falling down on their floors in endless giggles. Such a fun read with a sweet, sweet ending. One of our all-time favorite unique baby books!
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Little hands will get a workout with this fabulous book. Why? It encourages toddlers to trace their fingers along grooved paths that zig and zag and twist and turn. Our littlest readers are encouraged to play and explore in this hands-on book that provides young kids with an amazing multi-sensory experience. An awesome book to enhance our children’s fine motor skills!
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Kids will absolutely adore giving “hi” fives to all of the animals that greet them in this adorable book. From animal sounds to bright pictures to interactive fun on every page, your toddlers won’t stop wanting to high five, and this engaging book will have your kids giggling long after the final page. Such a fun board book for your littles!
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This is one of the most treasured stories on our shelf, and the very best board book to teach counting for the way it encourages affection and play between parent and child. In this story, a tired baby is getting ready for bed. What follows is a countdown of kisses given to the baby by all members of her family, starting on the baby’s tiny toes, then going up to her belly button and onto the top of her head… Until, of course, the baby falls sound asleep.
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Your toddler will love playing peekaboo with the child in this book, who finds his mommy, his daddy, his puppy, and even his favorite toy! We have long been fans of Isadora’s work, and we simply adore the vibrant illustrations and simple, interactive text in this diverse board book.
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I have read this book so many times I can recite it by heart, at any time of day. This was a huge winner in our house, for we adored its lovely rhythm and cadence. Though it is simple, it has enough of a story that it keeps preschoolers thoroughly engaged and entertained as well. The best part about this story? It imparts to toddlers how sweet it is to share. There’s nothing better than that! For our full review of Gossie, click here!
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This sweet book, a companion to Curls and Bloom, is an ode to Black boy joy. It centers around a young boy and his cheerful day, and ends with a celebration of his beautiful brown skin, shining like the night. What a glorious book to add to children’s bookshelves worldwide!
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We love inclusive, diverse board books that showcase so fabulously that the most important part of a family is love. It doesn’t matter what your family looks like, or who or how many people live in your home. Instead, family is where the heart is, sharing happy activities together, lending a helping hand, and, our favorite, reading just one more book together before bed. A gem!
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I wish I had this when my babes were young because they would have loved saying “I Love You” in TEN different languages! Complete with fun rhymes, sweet illustrations, and even a handy pronunciation guide, this is a fabulous diverse baby book to take children on a journey around the globe!
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This counting book cracked me up on the first read, and observant young readers will delight in the tenacious cat who wants to get in on the dogs’ actions. Each dog escapes its yard and joins an adventure on a different type of vehicle. As the pages turn, the number of dogs grows. But what happens when the dogs realize there is a cat in their midst? The family cat starts to take the dogs home, one by one, allowing kids to count backward from ten. This is one of my favorite new concept books for 2-year-olds! Any book about dogs is a winner with us!
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In this super creative story, a young child (who appears gender neutral, making it perfect for both girls and boys) is eager to get off the bench, where she has been stuck in diapers for far too long, and into the game. But now she’s ready for the big leagues, and that means learning to head right to the hoop (the toilet bowl!) when she has to pee or poop. This adorable book is brilliant, both for its unique premise, great illustrations, and fun spin on potty training. It is, without a doubt, our favorite potty training book!
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RELATED: Have you checked out our excellent list of kindergarten read-alouds? They make storytime rock!
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