A 2-Year-Old’s Top 10 Favorite Books

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

As a former 5th grade teacher, I have seen the impact reading to a child has on their success in school. It all starts at home, at the very beginning. I have been reading to my 2-year-old since she was a week old. She is so used to it that it is a huge part of her daily life. I read to her. Daddy reads to her. She “reads” to herself after naptime. Books are constantly all over the place; that’s the best kind of clutter! Here are just a few of the books sprinkled around my house!

#1 If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Series. I’m sure you’ve read the original, but did you know there are many other versions of this story? All are adorable and really hammer the “If…then…” concept. There is also a TV version of it on Amazon Instant Video! There was a dog barking in our neighborhood the other day and my 2-year-old said, “If I hear a dog barking, I just have to go see it!”

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
If You Give a Pig a Pancake
If You Give a Dog a Donut
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake
If You Give a Pig a Party **Baby D’s Favorite!

#2 Little Owl’s Night. This is a very neat book that follows a baby owl as he goes about his night. Super simple, super cute. Get it here.

#3Dear Zoo. I vividly remember this being the first book I read on my own in 1st grade. Love that my daughter has her own copy. She has been enjoying this one for a while now! It’s a pop up book with animals hiding in cages/boxes/baskets for your little one to open.

#4 Llama Llama Books. I think I enjoy these books just as much as my daughter! They are so fun to read-with their sing-song rhymes and valuable lessons.

Llama Llama Red Pajama
Llama Llama Mad at Mama (A HILARIOUS story about Llama Llama getting mad when his mama takes too long at the store. My kid can relate!)
Llama Llama Home with Mama (Llama Llama gets sick, then so does his mama!)
Llama Llama and the Bully Goat (Great little lesson on how to deal with bully goats-er, bullies!)
Llama Llama Time to Share (Love this one! Teaches little ones to share with their friends.)

#5 Eric Carle Books

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (We actually have this book in English and German. My husband is fluent in German, so he’s teaching it to our daughter. Baby D loves both and can already differentiate between the languages!)

#6 Carnival of the Animals. My husband is a music teacher, so our daughter has no choice but to love music too! This book by Jack Prelutsky comes with a CD of Camille Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals. The music is absolutely beautiful. You can’t help but imagine a lion, a swan, fossils, elephants, and even a piano teacher as you listen. 🙂

#7 The Noisy Orchestra. Like I said, my husband is a music teacher, so our daughter learning the instruments is just as important as the ABCs. This is a fun book. Each page is a different section of an orchestra, complete with a button playing their song. In the end, the entire orchestra comes together and plays together!

#8 Dr. Seuss Books. Take a deep breath before you read these books! They are fun, classic, and keep you on your toes! Kids love the silly pictures and made-up words. Here are our favorites:

#9 Bosley the Bear Books. The Bosley books are dual language books, they are all written in two languages. We want our daughter to learn German, so my husband reads the English/German Bosley books to her. They come in many different language combinations!