best kids books for two-year olds
posted may 2nd, 2009 by ava
ava's a little more opinionated than she used to be about her reading material. daddy has helpfully taught her to say "that book is rubbish!" if you make the wrong selection. here's a few favorites that have never landed in the rubbish pile.
of course, she's outgrown only a few of her old favorites, so for more good picks check out the best baby and toddler books
| name | price | description | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | There Are Cats in This Book | $12 | this book is truly original. the cats in this book address your child directly. the cats ask your child questions, and also ask your child for help! the paper cut-out format of the book allows your child to physically participate in the plot. quirky but definitely cook. |
 | Splat the Cat | $13 | the illustrations by this author / illustrator are just great. if you're two-year old is starting preschool, this is a great book to help assuage their fears about starting school. |
 | The Pencil | $16 | this book features a pencil, and a paintbrush "named kitty". this is one of those books you'll find sold in the gift shop of your local art museum - the pictures are that great. in his other books, i find the author's (allan ahlberg) writing style a little awkward, but in this one he really found a rhythm. the story is hilarious, and ava loves it. |
 | The Snail and the Whale | $7 | i'm not usually a fan of rhyming books, but i love this one anyway. who can resist a tale of "shimmering ice and coral caves"? |
 | Russell the Sheep | $13 | another visual masterpiece by rob scotton, and a great bedtime story too. explores the origins for the tradition of "counting sheep" to fall asleep. |
 | Puff the Magic Dragon | $12 | a beautifully illustrated accompaniment to the classic song. includes a cd with the peter paul and mary recording. like the song, it's definitely sad and wistful, but it also suggests a happier ending. |
 | Little Blue and Little Yellow | $7 | the illustrations in this book are extremely abstract (blobs of color on the page) and it took my daughter awhile to catch on. when she did, we went through a couple of months where this was the bedtime story every night. one day when she was painting she painted her own version of little blue, little yellow, and all their friends too. cracked me up, as at 2 years of age, this is definitely the only book out there whose illustrations she can actually faithfully replicate! |
 | Pinkalicious | $11 | the perfect book for pink-lovers everywhere. (p.s. don't buy the sequel - purplicious - it's awful.) |
 | Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy | $12 | both this book, and the prequel (ladybug girl) make ava look very thoughtful. i always wonder what exactly she's thinking about. both books delve very effectively into the mind of pre-schoolers. if you've spent endless hours watching your kids interact with other kids at the playground, this one will definitely ring true to you too! |
 | The Dark | $7 | this is ava's current favorite book by canadian author, robert munsch. her older friends at preschool request that i read this one too them alot too. hard to describe, but great. especially the last picture. |
 | Corduroy | $14 | an oldie but a goodie. one of those books that didn't "click" until around 2 and a half, and then became a favorite with both ava and daddy. |
 | Olivia and the Missing Toy | $13 | i like all the olivia books, but i think this one is my favorite. ava wasn't much interested in olivia until closer two 2.5 years of age. |
 | The Little Red Hen | $8 | i'm not much into the "beat you over the head with it" moral-of-the-story, so this book isn't really my personal cup of tea. but ava really likes it. it's a good one for discussing things that are in the pictures, but not very directly in the story. |
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Hi! I am thrilled to find
Hi! I am thrilled to find your book recommendations! Thank you, thank you! Your suggestions are exactly what we've been looking for. We're looking for introductions to authors and books we haven't encountered elsewhere (and, believe me, we've been looking!) We'll definitely stay tuned! Thanks again!
My two-year-old son and I
My two-year-old son and I absolutely *loved* the books you recommended---we are definitely a family of bookworms! Would you mind picking a few more good reads from Ava's current bookshelf? Thanks so much!
Yay! I was waiting for the
Yay! I was waiting for the next "best books" installment!
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