These 13 books will make your two-year-old squeal with joy

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You’ll love these sweet, enlightening books as much as they will.
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The idea of the “terrible twos” is an outdated concept. Two-year-olds are wonderful, exploring, vivacious beings that love repetition as much as they love new things. The good news is, toddler books offer both of those things at once: constant reinvention and rediscovery within the exact same pages.
At age two, they love repetition, so your library of best baby books is probably full of well-loved, possibly drool covered pages. If you’re looking to diversify their bookshelf even more, adding a new book every couple of months is an excellent way to stimulate those budding brains.
Related: 16 Books for three-year-olds to add to your toddler’s bookshelf
How to choose the best books for 2 year olds
Yes, while toddlers are curious, imaginative little beings, they’re also notoriously sticky. And they don’t always know how to carefully turn pages. In short, anything 2-year-old touches might possibly deconstruct into a messy pile of milk-soaked scraps, so the best books for toddlers definitely need to be sturdy (and preferably be able to wipe clean or sanitize!)
Also, although two-year-olds do love repetition, what they don’t love is sitting still for long periods of time, so good toddler books are usually on the shorter side and move through the story quickly with only a couple words per page. Oh, and bright, fun, attention-grabbing pictures they can connect with—that’s another key element for toddler books!
The following best books for 2 year olds make excellent additions to any two-year-old’s bookshelf, are full of bright imagery, positive messages and are perfect for the chubby hands of curious toddlers.
Related: 25 fantastic holiday gifts for 2-year-olds
The best books for 2 year olds
A version of this article was published May 5, 2022. It has been updated.