20 Best Books for 2-Year-Old Boys and Girls in 2023

Written and illustrated by Britta Teckentrup

A honeycomb-like, hexagonal die-cut lets kids peek through the pages as they follow along in a story about a bee. As it goes between the flowers and back to the hive, the text explains why bees are so important to the health of the planet. Ages 0 – 3

Written and illustrated by Merrill Rainey

Dino enthusiasts will love flipping through the pages of this book and seeing all different types of dinosaur. But the real fun begins when they actually get to become the stegosaurus, brontosaurus and T-rex. When the book is opened all the way, two die-cut holes turn the pages into a mask that kids can hold up to their faces (or yours). Ages 0 – 4

Written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann

It’s hard to say that you can “read” this book out loud in the traditional sense, since there are very few words in it. Instead, the illustrations tell the story of a dutiful zookeeper who says goodnight to all the animals, and the mischievous gorilla who takes the keys and lets them all out. Toddlers love discovering the gorilla’s plan — and figuring out where the animals want to spend the night. (Spoiler alert: It’s the zookeeper’s room.) Ages 0 – 3

Written by Camilla Reid, illustrated by Clare Youngs

There are so many features to this book that kept our toddler testers engaged: The illustrations of all the animals — a Woof Woof Dog, a Quack Quack Duck and so on — are done in an interesting, collage style that really catches the eye. There are also felt flaps throughout that let kids look for more hidden creatures. And, best of all, according to our testers, there’s a mirror in the back that asks, “What do YOU say?” All of it kept our readers captivated. Ages 0 – 3

Written by Samantha Sweeney, illustrated by Dawn Machell

Stick your fingers through the die-cut holes in this book, and they transform into puppet arms. Throughout the story, different baby animals are heading off to sleep, and asking for one more bedtime hug. Will your puppet fingers oblige? The arms were a hit with Good Housekeeping Institute testers, who reported that the kids liked slipping their own fingers in and trying to give the hugs, which is “a genius way to build fine motor skills,” one mom noted. Ages 2 – 5

Written by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle

By asking, “What do you see?” over and over again, this book invites kids to take a closer look at the illustrations — a good thing, because the pictures were done by the inimitable Eric Carle. The story asks the question of a purple cat, a blue horse and a yellow duck, among others, so toddlers will also get to practice naming their colors. Ages 2 – 5

Written by Amy Morrison

Great for social-emotional learning, Little Faces Big Feelings describes a different emotion on each left-hand page, while the accompanying right-hand page shows an array of photos of people showing that emotion. On the last page, there’s a mirror that lets kids try and show the same feeling on their own faces. Testers — especially ones with neurodiverse kids — really appreciated the variety of different, real faces throughout the book. Ages 1 – 6

Written and illustrated by Raúl l the Third, colors by Elaine Bay

It’s time for a celebration! Whether it’s friends or amigos, cake or pastel, music or música, this book goes through all the parts of a birthday party in both English and Spanish. Ages 0 – 3

Written and illustrated by Don Freeman

When a shopper informs Corduroy, a teddy bear for sale in a department store, that he’s missing a button, he waits until night and goes on an adventure trying to find it. In the end, he finds out he was really looking for a friend. If your toddler is enamored of the overalls-clad bear, there’s a series of Corduroy books that follow, including Corduory Takes a Bow, written by Oscar-winner Viola Davis. Ages 0 – 3

Written and illustrated by Erica Sirotich

The delightful Mail Duck helps toddlers review their colors through a sweet story: When Mail Quail is feeling ill, Mail Duck looks for colorful items that might act as medicine, from orange pumpkin soup to minty green tea. Kids have to lift the flaps to discover the items. “I haven’t seen my 2-year-old daughter this engaged in a book in months,” one parent tester said. Ages 0 – 3

Written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton

All of Sandra Boynton’s books are populated with a cast of whimsical animals, and it’s hard to go wrong with any of them. This one shows animals on a cruise ship (hilarious) going through the steps to get ready for bed, from doing light calisthenics (even more hilarious) to brushing their teeth. It’s a great one if you have a bedtime-avoider at home, since it’ll reinforce the idea of a good bedtime routine. Ages 0 – 4

Written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson

Harold takes his magic purple crayon and draws an adventure that takes him through all the letters of the alphabet. Toddlers can follow along, practicing their letters and matching them to the sounds that go with them. Ages 2 – 4

Written and illustrated Juana Martinez-Neal

Primer books are huge with toddlers, who use them to practice everything from counting and numbers to colors and shapes. This book is a two-for-one primer, in that it goes over 15 different parts of the body in both English and Spanish. Good Housekeeping Institute parent testers appreciated the bilingual nature and how different-colored text made it easy for kids to distinguish the English words from the Spanish ones. Ages 2 – 5

Written by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd

If they’ve already worn out their copies of Goodnight Moon (and its even more impressionistic companion book, My World), there’s still more ways to enjoy Margaret Wise Brown’s lyrical prose and Clement Hurd’s sweet illustrations. In it, a mother and child bunny play an imaginary game of hide-and-seek — and no matter how far the little one says he’ll go, the mother always vows to find him. The mother/child aspect to the story makes this a great gift for first Mother’s Days or baby showers. Ages 0 – 4

Written and photographed by St. Clair Detrick-Jules, illustrated by Tabitha Brown

The photographs of actual kids in this book were a big hit with Good Housekeeping Institute testers. “The real pictures of kids with their awesome natural hair are very cool,” one dad tester said, “especially since my boys don’t see kids with hair like theirs too often.” The story is told in rhymes that compare natural hair to beautiful elements in nature, like the sun, stars and trees. Ages 0 – 3

Written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis

Toddlers will certainly be able to relate to the main character in this book — a baby that refuses to go to bed. The baby fights sleep until the last page, when it finally nods off. (And maybe the toddlers in your life will, too?) While the kids loved the book, it was the Good Housekeeping Institute parent testers who really got a kick out of it, and it kept them giggling to the end. If it’s a hit, there’s a companion book, I’m Up, about waking up for the day. Ages 0 – 3

Written by Chris Ferrie, illustrated by Lizzy Doyle

This book takes readers on a rhyming trip through the solar system, offering info (and adorable illustrations) about the planets along the way. The pages have a big die-cut at the center (with a smiling sun in the middle), which little ones can learn to grasp. Ages 0 – 3

Written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats

Fans of The Snowy Day will recognize Peter, the urban-dwelling protagonist of many Ezra Jack Keats story. But whether the toddlers in your life live in a city or not, they’ll relate this story about a kid who really, really wants to learn how to whistle so he can call his dog. He tries all sorts of tricks, like putting on his dad’s hat to feel more grown up, but ultimately it’s all the practicing that works in the end. It helps toddlers — who often want to do things for themselves they’re not quite great at yet — to try, try again when they don’t master new skills the first time. Ages 0 – 3

Written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli

The intrepid baby in this book goes through pairs of items and declares them — you guessed it — either yummy or yucky. (“Yucky” things include soap, stinky socks and blue crayons, poor kid.) After reading it aloud with your toddler, you can talk about their favorite and least favorite foods and make your own “yummy” and “yucky” lists. Ages 0 – 3

Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss

It’s hard to choose just one book by Dr. Seuss — so don’t. This set comes with four of his classics, and they’re both smaller in size and packaged in a box with a handle, which makes them great for travel. In the box, you’ll get Fox in Socks; Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?; There’s a Wocket in My Pocket! and Dr. Seuss’s ABC. Ages 0 – 3