8 Great Books for 2 Year Olds

If your toddler is putting up a fight during bedtime because they want you near, Llama Llama Red Pajama is the perfect book to start with.

Llama Llama and his mama go through their nighttime routine (story time followed by bedtime) but as Mama Llama heads downstairs to prepare for the next day, Llama Llama craves a little more snuggle time with his Mama.

He goes through various motions of despair as he waits for (what seems to him), forever, for his Mama to come back upstairs. Mama Llama seeks to understand what Llama Llama is feeling before tucking him in bed for the second time.

What could be more comforting to a little one than knowing that a llama feels the same way they do?!

This sturdy board book is great for younger 2’s who can’t get enough of dinosaurs! Toddlers can use their fingers to make a dinosaur’s jaw chomp and make their tail swoosh.

It’s a compact book which makes it perfect for stashing in the car or in the seat back of a plane.

What a great way to learn about dinosaurs and to satisfy the need of a dinosaur-obsessed toddler. It’s easy to see why this tops the list as one of the best books for 2 year olds.

Your child will love poking their finger through the pages pretending to be a dolphin! They’ll get to experience life below the surface! The illustrations are simply stunning.

This book is part of a series so if your child is more of a bird, bear, or butterfly lover, there is a book out there just for them!

An added bonus of this book especially if you have a baby, is that you can use the finger puppet feature of this book to help develop the grasping skills of a 6 month old.

This fun rhyming book follows the adventures of a lovable pig who gets into everything (and I mean everything)!

There are relatable moments in the book for kids like bubble baths, painting, and not being able to tie your shoe.

And then there are moments you hope your two year old doesn’t experience like stuffing a habanero pepper in their mouth. But, the illustrations do an excellent job of capturing what would happen if they did…

This is one of my favorite books for 2 year olds.

If you thought the old lady who swallowed a fly was bit odd, image meeting a lady who swallowed a bell (and a sleigh)!

This book is great for a number of reasons: you can sing it instead of reading it; you can ask your child to identify the items she is swallowing; and you can ask your child to find certain items hidden on the page.

A delightful book to read in December, but this book is also a part of a series so there are books for 2 year olds incorporating St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other celebratory occasions.

This is one of the perfect books for 2 year olds who love trucks. The main character in the book is a small but mighty dump truck! This rhyming book illustrates the day in the life of a dump truck who is proud of the job he does.

Make sure you brush up on your truck vocabulary so you can keep up with your 2 year old. Ask them to spot tow trucks, front loaders, excavators, cement mixers, and more!

And to keep it fresh and interesting, especially if you’re being asked to read this book multiple times a day, try singing the words!

This is one of my favorite counting books for 2 year olds. It features Bruce the Bear, who is a bit grumpy, despite many attempts by friends who ‘bring the party’.

Each page introduces more new friends so count along with your child, as some of his friends are hiding!

The illustrations are fantastic and most adults will laugh because they have probably met a ‘Grumpy Bruce’ at some point in their lives.

This book focuses on a group of animals cheering up their sad friends. They do everything in their power to make them feel happy…and then they all celebrate together!

If you’ve ever had a toddler who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and you spent time trying to turn that frown upside down (into a smile), you’ll be able to relate. One of the must-read books for 2 year olds.