The age of 2-years years old comes with a lot of monumental physical milestones for a child. This is the age when a child can kick a ball, stand on their tip-toes, and run. It’s also the time when a child begins to hit a lot of language milestones; Milestones that include saying simple phrases, use 2 to 4-word sentences and repeat words they’ve overheard. It’s also a good time for parents to help develop their child’s reading skills by introducing them to age-appropriate materials. To help parents of 2-year olds find appropriate books, we’ve decided to review the best books for 2-year olds available. Although we’ve ranked the books in order from #1 on up, any of the following books are great for children in this age group.

Quick Summary of the Best Best Books For 2-Year Olds

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Best Overall: My First Library 10 Board Books For Children

Sometimes it can be hard for us to recommend a singular book for 2-years olds, especially when they’re so many subjects that parents can cover with the child. This is a magical age when children are beginning to learn more about their world, and therefore the parent needs to engage as many regions of the brain as possible. And fortunately, this 10-book set is capable of handling a lot of them. That’s because it’s a set that covers ABCs, Numbers, Colors, Shapes, Farm Animals & Pets, Vegetables, Transportation, Birds, Fruits, and Wild Animals. It’s a great set for engaging the emerging imaginations of children this age. It’s also a great set for parents to give their children to help them get a jump start on their education.

Although we do have to admit that the books in this series are a bit small, which might make them difficult for parents to hold, we believe their size is perfect for children to hold. 2-years olds will have no problems holding and flipping through these books as they learn a variety of new things. And because the book uses large pictures along with the words learned, children are automatically engaged with them from the moment they open them. All of this makes these wonderful books great for parents to give their children, or for people to give to a 2-year old in their extended family.

What we liked about it
  • Covers everything from ABCs through Numbers & Letters
  • They’re easy for toddlers to hold.

Best Interactive Book: Peek-A-Who Interactive Real Aloud Book

Curious babies and toddlers love books that use bright colors, simple rhymes, and peek-a-boo windows, so it should be no surprise that children 2-years and younger adore these books. This book has been around for the past two decades and continues to be a bestseller, and there’s a good reason for that fact. Once children pick up this book, they don’t want to set it back down. This allows the book to capture a 2-year olds attention for quite a long time, much longer than other books in this age-range are capable of accomplishing. It all goes to show parents that a well-written and illustrated book can capture the imagination.

This book was written by Nina Laden, a child book author that’s written some of the most iconic and popular children’s books on the planet. Some of the other books she’s written include The Night I Followed The Dog, If I Had A Little Dream, Romeow and Drooliet, Once Upon a Memory, Are We There Yet?; as well as Ready, Set, Go! All great books that we also highly recommend. If there was any complaint we had about this book, it’s the fact that it doesn’t seem like a true board book. Sure, its pages aren’t as flimsy as a regular book, but they are also not as stiff as ordinary board books. This might not be a big deal to everyone, however, so consumers should think about whether it makes a difference or not before thy purchase it.

What we liked about it
  • Kids love this book’s bright colors and peek-a-boo pages.
  • Just the right size for 2-year olds to hold.

Best Board Book: Where’s Spot? Board Book

“Where’s Spot!” is a book that’s been around for a long time. And when we say it’s been around for a long time, we mean a long time. This book was originally penned in 1980 by Eric Hill, and it became so popular that Mr. Hill decided to become a full-time children’s author. It’s a book that’s based upon a very simple concept: the child trying to find Spot behind a series of flaps. Although the concept is simple, it has enough of a hook to capture a child’s interest and hold on to it for a long time. That’s probably why Mr. Hill eventually turned the book into a series that includes such great titles as Spot’s First Christmas; Spot Goes to the Farm; Spot Says Goodnight; Spot’s Birthday Party, and a whole lot more.

Although we reviewed the board book, this book also comes in a variety of other formats. It can be bought on Kindle, in hardcover form, or paperback as well. We liked the board book because the book is more durable, but we do have to say that we weren’t too happy with the hidden flaps. We feel as if the flaps are too easy to rip off. However, as far as we can tell, that’s the only true defect of this book. It’s otherwise a great book that will capture the imagination of the child and inspire the child’s parents to buy all of the books in the spot series.

What we liked about it
  • It’s a brightly illustrated book.
  • It comes in a variety of book formats.

Best Book For Small Hands: Press Here Board Book

This book is from Hervé Tullet, a guy who went from directing advertising campaigns to creating some of the best books for 2-year olds available. Some of the books that he has written include Let’s Play; Mix It Up; Say Zoop!; Draw Here; I Have An Idea!; The Book With A Hole, and of course, this book: Press Here. This is a book that’s crafted by a gifted children book author, and it’s one that parents might want to check out when they looking for the next book for their 2-year. This book allows children to follow the instructions within it to embark on a journey that’s nothing less than magical. Who would’ve thought interactive dots would hold a child’s attention, but we suppose Hervé Tullet did recognize the potential.

This is a board book that’s just the right size for small hands and is tough enough to hold up to plenty of use. It’s also a book that’s been on the New York Times Bestseller List for quite some time, and one that we’re sure children will enjoy. The only thing that parents should worry about when buying this book is whether they’re child is at the right age to enjoy it. In our experience, we found that it might not capture the attention who just turned 2-years of age, but is probably more appropriate for children 2.5-years or older. Having said that, we do feel it’s a book that’s going to work quite well for both parents and children alike.

What we liked about it
  • It has a very interactive design.
  • It holds the child’s attention.

How To Choose A Book For A 2-Year Old

Now that we’ve gone over some of the books that we think are the best for 2-year olds, we wanted to take a few moments and give our readers the tools to choose books for themselves. After all, once they’ve bought all of the books on our list, they are going to want to buy some more books for their child most likely, so we want to give them the tools that enable them to do it properly. Although choosing a book for a 2-year is a personal decision made by the parents, there are a few things that parents should keep in mind before they purchase their next book.

Step One: Choose The Right Age Group

Okay, this might sound like we’re being condescending, but we’re not. Choosing the right age group is the best way to purchase the book for a child. But it’s only a guideline that informs the parent’s decision and the child shouldn’t have books forced upon them that they’re not ready for. Some children might be chronologically 2-years of age, but that doesn’t mean that their reading development is in that range. Some children might be better off being given books in the 6-month to 18-month range, while other children might be more advanced and can easily read books in the 3-years or older range. Therefore, books for children should be chosen in the appropriate age range.

Step Two: Choose A Book With Plenty Of Brightly Colored Illustrations

It’s also important for the parents to choose books that have brightly colored illustrations. Often it’s the illustrations that are found in the book that will capture the attention of the child and will pull them into the story. Therefore, the parent should make sure that the book captures their child’s attention. After all, if the book can’t capture attention, then the book isn’t going to get read. End of story.

Step Three: Choose Between Educational Or Entertainment Books

If there’s one thing that we want parents to glean from this article, it’s the fact that there are different types of books for children in this age range. What we mean is that not every book has to teach about colors, numbers, animals, letters or anything else. Some book is merely meant to be entertaining, and parents should have plenty of these types of books in their library. Now don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying that the child shouldn’t have educational books in their home library—because we certainly think they should. We’re saying that books that entertain are also important. A book that the child really loves can be a gateway to a whole lifetime of reading, so consumers should keep that in mind.

Step Four: Choose The Right Format

The next thing that parents should think about is the format of the book. Do they need the book to be in a digital format such as for use on a Kindle, or do they want a more durable board book? Perhaps they want a softcover book for their child that’s not as durable but is only going to be used by the child when they’re reading with his or her parents. The way the book is published often determines how the child interacts with the book. Children will tend to be less interactive with books found in a digital format than they will with a board book that they can carry and physically manipulate. Therefore, the parent should choose the format that’s right for their child.

Step Five: Think About The Story

The parent also needs to think about the story told by the book. Is it one that’s likely to engage the interest of their child? Not all books are capable of capturing all children’s attention, so it’s up to the parent to use what they know about their child and determine if a particular story will capture his or her imagination. Remember, no matter how much research we do to find great books for our readers and their children, there’s no way that we can determine the interest a particular child is going to have in a particular subject. That’s when the parent has to use what they know about their child and what they like to inform their final buying decision.

In Conclusion…

That’s all the information needed for a person to buy the best book for a 2-year old. As we stated previously, it isn’t difficult finding a book for this age group if the consumer keeps a few key points in mind. And believe us when we say that it’s extremely important to start a child reading as soon as possible. The earlier a child starts, the more likely they’ll be a reader for their entire life.