10 books my 2 year old loves

Lou has become quite the little bookworm these last six months or so, and I’m keen to nurture this love of reading. Being read to has so many benefits for children - it improves their language skills, helps them develop empathy and can help improve concentration.

Whether a child reads for pleasure or not is said to have more of an impact on their academic success than the socio-economic status of their parents. Despite all this though, only 50% of UK parents read to their preschooler every day- life is busy, parents are working more, kids may not enjoy it, and it’s hard to know where to start, there are SO MANY BOOKS out there.

So if you need some kid lit inspo for the toddler in your life, here are my two years old’s top ten books right now...

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Probably the most well known book on this list, but had to be included as it’s probably the book that I’ve half read the most in my life! This is quite a long one, so Lou won’t sit through the whole thing that often - but he enjoys it all the same. There are lots of animals to look at, and the story has a nice rhythm to it. We also love The Gruffalo animated short film.

Don’t Wake Up Tiger! by Britta Teckentrup

This is a beautifully illustrated, interactive book. Tiger is sleeping but the animals need to get past her, with a bunch of balloons! They take it in turns to try and manoeuvre around her, and ask the reader for help to keep Tiger asleep. This is a quick read, with only a few lines on each page, so good for toddlers on their extra busy days.

Elmer- Hide and Seek by David McKee

This is the Welsh/English version but it’s also available in just English. Elmer and Bird are playing a game of hide and seek in the jungle. This a brilliantly colourful lift the flap book, with lots of animals. Flaps and animals, what more could a 2 year old want??

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

A spider is blown onto a fence post in a farm yard and starts to spin a web, then she’s visited by a bunch of animals all asking her to come and spend time with them. Again with the animals, can you see the theme here? This board book is nice and simple with a lot of repetitive language, and animal noises that will encourage your kid to join in with the story.

Owl’s New Home by Kayleigh O’Mara

A recent, successful Kickstarter campaign funded the release of this book. It is just the most beautifully illustrated story about an owl that’s bored of its quiet tree, so looks for somewhere new to live. Another quick read, with lots of opportunities to make owl noises.

The Way Home For Wolf by Rachel Bright and Jim Field

We love all the books this duo have brought out, but there’s something about this one that calls to Lou. Wilf is a cocky little wolf cub that gets separated from his pack and has to learn how to swallow his pride and accept help in order to get back home. There’s lots of emotive language and opportunities to talk about how the characters are feeling. And (spoiler alert) a lovely reunion at the end, Lou loves the final illustration of Wilf and his parents having a big cuddle.

What is Poo? by Katie Daynes

Another lift the flap book, this time with about 50 pictures of poo- another of Lou’s big loves 🙈 Informative and funny!

If I Had A Dinosaur by Alex Barrow and Gabby Dawnay

Forget Lou, I love this book! It’s just fun to read, even if it’s the tenth time in 30 minutes. Its narrated by a little girl, thinking how amazing it would be to have a pet dinosaur. It’s a quick read, with fun rhymes, and beautiful illustrations. 

The Snail and The Whale and Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

These last two are two more very popular books. But, again loved by toddlers everywhere.

The Snail and the Whale is about a snail that is bored of her life, so hitches a ride on the tail of a whale and sees the world. And learns on her travels that no one is too small to make a difference.

Room on the Broom is a story of a friendly witch and her cat, who invite three helpful animals onto their broomstick. They then return the kindness and save her from a nasty dragon.

Both have lots of animals and are fun to read with their repetitive rhymes,and  like The Gruffalo, they have both been made into short films.

So that was our top ten! Does your toddler like any of these? Or do you have any book recommendations? Please comment below ❤️