30 Books to read before you're 2!

The books on this list have been selected by the Better Beginnings team of children's literature specialists and are favourites of many babies, toddlers and their families.

Updated January 19, 2024
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
I went walking
Williams, Sue
Paper Book
A child discovers a parade of animals in this picture book filled with playful humor and rhyme. This simple, funny read-aloud follows a boy's exciting stroll through the countryside. The boy sees a black cat, then a brown horse, then a red cow, and so on, and before he knows it, he's being...
We're going on a bear hunt
Rosen, Michael
Paper Book
Go on a bear hunt and do the actions with this award-winning picture book classic. Follow and join in the family's excitement as they wade through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of a bear. What a surprise awaits them in the cave on the...
A is for ant
Priddy, Sam
Paper Book
Take a first look at the amazing world of ants in this beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book, a perfect first gift for babies and toddlers. The friendly, read-aloud text and exciting illustrations by Kate Slater will have young nature-lovers smiling in no...
Baby animals black and white
Tildes, Phyllis Limbacher.
Paper Book
This charming, best-selling board book introduces eight adorable baby animals, featuring high-contrast black-and-white illustrations perfect for babies from birth to age two. Research has shown that infants respond more readily to contrasting black and white images, making this book an ideal...
Press here
Tullet, Herv©?
Paper Book
The board book edition of the international bestseller.
That's not my parrot
Watt, Fiona
Paper Book
An exciting new title in the best-selling touchy-feely series. Join five colourful parrots in the new jungle-themed addition to the much-loved That's not my series. Delight in the bold illustrations, the touchy-feely materials and spotting the familiar little white mouse. Usborne's flagship That's...
Hello hello
Wenzel, Brendan
Paper Book
In this brilliant follow up to the Caldecott Honor-winning They All Saw a Cat, best-selling author Brendan Wenzel presents a chain of animals of dazzling variety. Each one is different from the last, yet each is also linked by at least one common trait . . . some obvious, some more subtle. As...
Dear zoo
Campbell, Rod
Paper Book
Lift the flaps and join in the fun with Rod Campbell's classic lift-the-flap book, Dear Zoo, with a host of favourite zoo animals and sturdy card flaps to lift on every page. 'I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet . . .'Young children will love lifting the flaps to discover the animals the zoo has...
The very hungry caterpillar
Carle, Eric
Paper Book
THE all-time classic picture book, from generation to generation, sold somewhere in the world every 30 seconds! Have you shared it with a child or grandchild in your life? Carle's classic tale of a voracious caterpillar who eats his way through the days of the week and...
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
Dodd, Lynley
Paper Book
Join Hairy Maclary and his friends on their first ever adventure in this golden 40th anniversary edition of the beloved rhyming classic! "Out of the gate and off for walk, Went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy" Hairy Maclary is off for a walk, and...
Where is the green sheep?
Fox, Mem
Paper Book
Little ones are sure to be lulled off to a peaceful, sheep-filled sleep by this cozy book from acclaimed author Mem Fox. There are red sheep and blue sheep, wind sheep and wave sheep, scared sheep and brave sheep, but where is the green sheep? The search is on in this cozy, sheep...
Where's Spot?
Hill, Eric
Paper Book
Eric Hill's Where's Spot? was the first ever lift-the-flap book - and his ground-breaking innovation continues to delight and surprise readers with interactive fun. Spot has now been a trusted character in early learning for over 40 years, selling over 65 million books worldwide. ...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.