From interactive books with fun flaps to noisy books with unexpected surprises, our ultimate list of books for two-year-olds will give a little helping hand whatever the occasion - whether it’s playtime or nap time!
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The best books for two-year-olds: baby and toddler books
Books to help with mealtimes
Teatime for Pirates!: A Ladybird Skullabones Island picture book
It’s teatime aboard the pirate ship and the crew’s tummies are a-rumbling. Captain Cutlass is piling plates high with peas, carrots, sausages and mash, and he must convince the crew that this is a proper meal for sturdy, swashbuckling pirates. This is a humorous and richly illustrated rhyming story that teaches tiny pirates the importance of a balanced diet and cleaning your plate. Ahoy matey!
Peppa Pig: Let's Go Shopping Peppa
Peppa Pig and her family need something to eat for lunch. It's time for a trip to the supermarket! Mummy Pig is very keen on just getting the things on her shopping list, but when they get to the checkout, something else has appeared in the trolley... This picture book story is perfect for reading at bedtime, playtime and over and over again!
Books to make playtime fun
Farm Hullaballoo! Ladybird Big Noisy Book
Little farm fanatics will be fascinated by this entertaining sound book about the daily activities at Blossom Farm. Tiny hands will love pressing the noisy buttons and hearing the exciting sounds of a busy farmyard, including pigs, cows and sheep, and even a big yellow tractor! Packed full of detailed drawings and fun farming facts, Farm Hullaballoo! will keep toddlers happy for hours. Moooo!
Peppa is the perfect pal to enjoy playtime with, and this sturdy lift-the-flap book is guaranteed to keep little hands busy. Peppa and friends are out in the garden playing hide-and-seek, but Peppa needs some help from Freddy Fox to try and find them. This is classic hide and peek fun with children’s favourite piggy!
Ladybird lift-the-flap book: Busy Farm
Another story for busy tots who love fun animal activities, this sturdy board book describes Farmer Philip’s hectic day on the farmyard. Curious little readers will delight in lifting up the flaps only to find more hidden underneath while spotting the ladybirds on every page. With colourful illustrations, useful labels and entertaining rhyming text, this is a charming book for two-year-olds' that can be explored by tots alone or to have fun with together.
Peppa Pig: The Wheels on the Bus
Who better than Peppa Pig to lead a jolly old sing-along! Peppa and her pals are all off on a school trip on a blue bus with four big wheels. There’s a lot going on: the bell on the bus dings, children chatter, the horn beeps, and the wheels go round and round! The Wheels on the Bus is a fantastic sing-along picture book complete with real wheels that will make story time even more enjoyable.
Shhh! Books for a little quiet time
Make learning the colours of the rainbow even more magical with this mesmerising board book filled with cute tactile illustrations of everything from shiny yellow stars to a fuzzy orange cat! With big, easy-to-turn pages that are perfect for tiny hands, this bright, textured book will have little ones spellbound. Baby Touch: Rainbow is ideal for sharing quiet quality time together with your two-year-old.
Books to ease them into learning time
Ladybird Toddler Touch: First Words
Bursting with cheerful illustrations, liftable flaps and interesting touch-and-feel areas, this bright sturdy board book will be treasured by curious toddlers. With themed pages to expand little reader’s vocabularies on everything from getting dressed, to mealtimes and the outdoors, learning new words will be a rewarding and enjoyable experience for parents or carers and tots alike.
Ladybird Toddler Touch: First Numbers
This is a delightful interactive board book that encourages learning first numbers through touch. Little fingers can trace the big, textured numbers on every page, lift the flaps and follow the helpful guides as they learn to count for the first time. With so much to explore and discover, this little book for two-year-olds will make learning as easy 1-2-3!
Learn all about shapes with Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and friends in the enchanting Night Garden! Little fans of the hit CBeebies show will enjoy learning new shapes in this vibrant picture book. Packed with bright colours, fun shapes, and recognisable objects from TV, children will adore learning their triangles from their circles using this charming tale.
Books to make potty time easy pee-sy
Pirate Pete is starting a new adventure – using the potty! Filled with clear informative pictures, this best-selling book is ideal for assisting parents or carers with potty-training difficulties. The big cheer button and colourful illustrations will banish any potty anxieties, helping little pirates master the potty in no time.
All hands-on deck! Pirate Polly is ready to bid farewell to her nappies just like your little one. Filled with fun pictures, this easy to follow book will help guide and encourage toddlers learning to use the potty. Plus, every time Polly and your little pirate uses the potty correctly, you can spur them on with the ‘cheer’ button! Nappies will be shark bait in no time.
Princess Polly is learning to use the potty like a big girl and we need to cheer her along! Two-year-olds who are also potty training will enjoy pressing the noisy button and will be encouraged to try out the potty for themselves, just like Polly. This thoughtful book makes potty training a positive experience for both parents and toddlers embarking on this exciting new stage.
Pirate Pete: Potty Colouring Book
Pirate Pete wants to use the potty like a big boy! Packed with simple drawings to colour in, this is a fantastic colouring book to encourage confidence in tots who are also about to potty train. There’s a helpful reward chart to motivate youngsters on their exciting potty-training adventure, and over 100 stickers to celebrate with. Say goodbye to nappies!
Books that are perfect for storytime
Jack and the Beanstalk: Ladybird First Favourite Tales
What better way to spend quality time with little ones than with a classic fairy tale. Based on the enchanting story of a little boy called Jack who buys some magic beans, this wonderfully illustrated hardback version is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with two-year-olds.
The Gingerbread Man: Ladybird Touch and Feel Fairy Tales
This is a fantastic update of a childhood classic about a little gingerbread man who comes to life and runs as fast as he can! Told in easy-to-follow language with tactile spots to touch and explore, The Gingerbread Man is made special and new for young and old readers alike.
Books for splish-splashing at bathtime!
Baby Touch: One! Two! Three! bath book
Bathtime with toddlers can be a hullabaloo, but this waterproof book will make it an enjoyable experience for both parents and water babies alike! The wipeable bath book can be safely attached to the tub with a sucker cap and read with ease while tots splash away to their heart’s content. Noisy squeakers are built into the padded pages, allowing tots to have a whale of a time!
Zzzz. Books for bedtime
Ten Minutes to Bed: Little Mermaid
If you have a little mermaid who just can’t seem to sleep, this tale is perfect for you. Splash the littlest mermaid has only ten minutes until bedtime, but with so many wonderful underwater distractions it seems she won’t be settling down for a while. Count down from ten as you follow Splash swimming around her kingdom before bed. This is a beautifully calming story for young children.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: Ladybird Touch and Feel Rhymes
This is a magical picture book perfect for quality twilight time with sleepy tots. Packed with dreamy nursery rhymes such as Twinkle Twinkle and Hush-a-bye Baby, eye-catching drawings, and delightful textures including a glittery moon and a fleecy blanket, this book is guaranteed to send little ones into a peaceful slumber.
It’s nearly bedtime for Peppa and George, but they are not sleepy yet! In this illustrated storybook, our favourite piggies do whatever they can to get out of going to bed. They play in the garden, take a big splashy bath, brush their teeth and listen to Daddy Pig tell a story until they finally nod off. Sweet dreams!
In the Night Garden: Sleep Tight, Upsy Daisy
Upsy Daisy is dancing in the garden and does not want to go to bed. This captivating picture book is perfect for fans of the popular CBeebies show and will help your two-year-old wind down after a busy day. Written with little sleepy heads in mind, this is a calming tale ideal for bed or nap time.
In the Night Garden: Goodnight Igglepiggle
Join Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and friends in this brilliant bedtime read. Read along with the sleepy story as Igglepiggle must say goodbye to all his friends before going to bed. Packed with colourful illustrations characteristic of the television show, this is a comforting night time book, bringing tots to relax and sleep soundly after a day’s activities.
