The 19 Best Books For 2 Year-Olds
One of the many things that parents struggle with is to make their child sit for storytime. It’s normal for toddlers to wonder while going through a book, but choosing a few best books for 2 year olds will help keep kids’ attention.
Having a proper storytime or reading session with your child stimulates their minds and sparks their curiosity towards stories and notepads. And the easiest way to make this happen is by choosing the right book.
What Books Should I Read to My 2 Year Old?
Colourful books and books with a repetitive nature are some of the most age-appropriate books for 2-year-olds. To help you make a well-informed decision, the following is a list containing 19 of the best books for 2 year olds.
We may expand this list, but these books surely make the list for the top books for toddlers!
1. Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed By Eileen Christelow
This book is a classic that should be in every child’s library. Ot’s loved by so many children and parents. It’s perfect for toddlers as they can understand it easily due to the repetitive nature of the book and it encourages counting. It can be read or chanted since it is a popular nursery rhyme.
Kids find it funny and you could also find activities online for your kids to do that relates to the story.
My toddler loves this book! I couldn’t have this list without including it as one of the best books for 2 year olds and even 1 year olds.
2. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle
This is another all-time favorite children’s book that is a bestseller on amazon. It’s about all the fun animals Brown Bear encounters along his journey such as the plump purple cat and a handsome blue horse. The bright illustrations coupled with the story itself makes this a fun story that comes alive.
3. A Collection Of Stories For 2-Year-olds By Paragon Storybooks
This one is a hardcover narrative with a vast collection of classic stories, including The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks, and modern tales suitable for children aged 2. It comes in 2 formats and editions, and parents love it because of the quality illustrations and bright pictures inside.
However, while it has a few handfuls of stories, it is not a board book so the pages will rip easily if left in toddler hands. This still makes a great gift with 10 classic stories in one book.
4. Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang
If you are looking for a funny children’s story, you should consider looking at this one. It was ranked the number-one New York Times best-selling picture story with entertaining content.
But apart from being funny, it delivers meaningful content about managing unexplained feelings and why it is not ok to suppress them.
The story revolves around a chimpanzee called Jim. Jim is in a bad mood for an unknown reason. Throughout the story, you will find his friends trying to figure out what is wrong with him while encouraging him to cheer up. The end of the story delivers a strong message.
5. Chika Chika Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
The board book is an interactive story written by the “America’s favorite children’s author”. Bill has written over 300 stories for children and this one is suitable for children aged from 1 to 4.
The book comprises a total of 36 pages, and while the parents may think it is a bit ridiculous, children are known to love it. It is mainly because of its fun choice of words and attractive illustrations.
6. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
Another best-seller on Amazon, this children’s story, comes in four different formats, including hardcover, paperback, audio, and board format. The story revolves around a giraffe who wishes to dance.
It is a mixture of fun, emotional, and funny content. The story is filled with rhymes and high-quality illustrations suitable for toddlers. So far, the only concern some parents have is regarding the concept of the story.
The final moral of the story depicts a somewhat controversial message for some of these parents. However, others seem to love it for their toddlers.
7. Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
Suitable for all children from ages 2 to 8, this picture-based-narrative comes in a hardcover and 11 different formats and editions. The story revolves around a young girl and her monkey toy.
The illustrations are high-quality and designed attractively for toddlers. The story consists of 32 pages, all of which have easily understandable English words.
The only complaint ever registered is that the context is repetitive. Other than that, all parents and consumers have loved the product for the toddler.
8. How To Catch A Star by Oliver Jeffers
This narrative has a good storyline revolving around a child who wishes to catch the stars. Apart from this, it is available in 21 different formats and editions. This one is part of the Boy Series, which comprises a total of four stories. This one is the first of the collection.
Consisting of 32 pages in total, the book weighs about 1.2 pounds. Some parents say that this is rather heavy for their child and makes them uncertain while handing it over to their toddler.
Overall, the language used in the book is easy English and is suitable for toddlers.
9. The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith
This children’s book is a read-aloud with funny and engaging content. You can read the book on a free app online or buy it in the form of a hardcover, paperback, or board book.
Even though the age range of the book is 3 to 5 yrs, the content is suitably interactive for children aged 2 as well.
The book weighs only 2.9 ounces so it is very lightweight. However, some parents have a concern that the book delivers a controversial message. According to them, it promotes bullying behaviors and can negatively manipulate their child’s perception of handicapped people.
In contrast to this opinion, many parents think that the story is hysterical and entertaining for toddlers.
10. I Spy- Everything!: A Guessing Game aimed for ages 2 to 4 children by Books For Little Ones
It is a new and improved version of I spy books. The game involves finding all alphabets from A to Z.
The design aims to improve the child’s learning of the alphabetical order. It consists of various puzzles that focus on finding different letters from the alphabet.
You can get the book in a paperback format or spiral-bound.
11. Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
The book was first launched in 2003 and was immediately popular for its vibrant colors and fresh, engaging content. The book comes in 18 formats and is a best seller on Amazon.
The board book consists of 22 pages, which are quite thin, so you have to be careful while you turn them.
12. There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
The story revolves around a bear and a mouse fighting for a chair. The story is engaging and maintains curiosity till the very end. You can get access to this book on a free app or buy it in hardcover or paperback.
The book comprises 32 pages and is suitable for children from ages 2 to 5. While some parents have a problem with the overall message coming from the book, others seem to find it very funny and entertaining.
13. Cali’s Love Nursery Rhymes
Another press and listen sound book by Cali’s, this one revolves around nursery rhymes that celebrate love and focus on its importance. It is easy to operate and high-quality.
Apart from the rhymes, the pages consist of attractive illustrations to keep the child bound to its pages.
14. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
This board format is a winner on Amazon because of its affordable price range and high-quality content. The story of the narrative revolves around a group of farm animals, all of whom are friends. You can buy the product in hardcover or board book, or listen to it for free on audio format or Kindle.
15. P is for Potty! (Sesame Street) by Naomi Kleinberg
This narrative is suitable for all girls and boys from ages 1 to 3. It educates the child about potty while keeping the narrative engaging and attractive. The board book is a sturdy lift-the-flap structure that keeps the toddlers excited.
This book about going potty is more appropriate for 2 and a half year olds to three year olds and makes it to the list of the best books for two year olds.
16.Sing The Alphabet by Cali’s
This is a musical storybook for toddlers that teaches them about the alphabet. This interactive book maintains the learning atmosphere while keeping the narrative light, easy, and entertaining.
It runs on batteries that you can easily replace. Plus, the material of the product is high-quality and resistant to easy damage.
It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t include an alphabet book in this list of the best books for 2 year olds!
17. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
New York Times bestseller, The Pout-Pout Fish is an interactive narrative with attractive illustrations. It consists of 34 pages and is suitable for children in preschool and above.
Even though many parents have shown their concerns regarding the stereotypical story, a lot of them have applauded its quality and design.
18. Cali’s Spanish Nursery Rhymes
If you are looking for stories that you can read and listen to, this one is bilingual and provides English and Spanish nursery rhymes. It is suitable for girls and boys aged 1 to 4.
It requires batteries, and you can plug and play high-quality interactive rhymes for your toddler. The product has been tested and passed through all of the US and active kids’ standards.
19. Hello, World! Solar System by Jill McDonald
Another solar space story for your toddler, this one is a board style with more colors, designs, and factual content. The content features simple facts and information about the solar system.
The pages are sturdy, and the language is easy to understand. The narrative is overall aesthetically pleasing and engaging for the child.
The editorial reviews for this product are great, and the author is a specialist in making content oriented for children.
The story has a total of 26 pages.
What to Look For In a Good Children’s Book
The importance of an age-appropriate book should never be underrated. If chosen correctly, it can attract your child and make them sit still for a while (which is something you have been trying to do for a long time).
While making this decision, you must keep certain things and factors in your mind. The following are some of the most important things to remember when buying a book for your toddler and looking for the best books for 2 year olds.
The pages and exterior should be attractive.
Kids love colors, shapes, and designs. The more colorful the pages are, the more attractive it will be to your child. Make sure the pages have vibrant patterns, shapes, and cartoons. The illustrations should be colourful but simple.
Choose books with repetitive language.
Repetitive books are perfect for toddlers! They are easy to follow and kids love them. If the story is not easy to follow, your child will lose interest, and there is only so much attention that colors will be able to grab.
The narrative should be in a simple, uncomplicated language with short sentences. Repetitive books for toddlers are ideal.
Consider interactive books.
The modern children’s stories with pop-up shapes and animals are more than just creative.
The manufacturers design these products with children and their developing age in mind.
Interactive narratives, such as these, keep the child curious and hooked.
The construction should be durable.
If you are spending the right amount of money on a children’s item,
make sure that it is long-lasting, and you can get the most benefit out of it.
The durability of the product depends on its cover quality, the paper inside, and the overall texture of the product.
The build should be small or moderate in size.
It should be suitable for toddlers in terms of their measurements. These include the size and weight of the item.
If a product is too large, the child will not be able to hold it. This will diminish any interest in the child’s mind regarding the story.
Similarly, if the toddler cannot hold the novel because of its weight, it will be a significant problem.
The fact will frustrate the child and ultimately drive him away from ever touching it again.
Tips For Reading With 1-2 Year Old Toddlers
The following video provides a few good tips on reading with your toddler.
Final Thoughts
It is understandable that choosing a narrative for your toddler can be a daunting task sometimes. It requires more thought than one may think. Hopefully, the task of choosing the best books for 2-year olds is now much easier for you. May you have a fun reading time!
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