[For 2-year-olds] Recommended picture books to enjoy reading in January
By the time children are two, some begin to enjoy the humor of repeated words and feel a fondness for characters, discovering picture books in ways that differ from when they were zero or one.
With that in mind, here are some recommendations: picture books perfect for two-year-olds to enjoy in January.
Two-year-olds’ picture-book world expands quickly—they get excited just seeing the cover, and they start remembering simple words and imitating them.
In this article, we introduce a variety of picture-book worlds.
Let’s read the books that catch your child’s interest together and have fun!
- [For 1-year-olds] Recommended picture books to read together in January
- [February] Recommended picture books for 2-year-olds: Books that evoke winter and Setsubun
- [For 2-year-olds] Enjoy spring-recommended picture books with your children
- [For 3-Year-Olds] Recommended for January! A Collection of Exciting and Heartwarming Picture Books
- [For 2-year-olds] Let's read together! Recommended picture books for March
- Recommended Picture Books to Read in January for 0-Year-Olds
- Picture Books to Read in February [For 5-Year-Olds]
- [For 0-Year-Olds] Picture Books to Read in Spring | Enjoy Picture Books with Your Children
- Books to Enjoy Winter With: Picture Book Ideas to Read with Your Two-Year-Old
- [For 5-year-olds] Picture books recommended for reading in January
- [February] Picture books for 1-year-olds: books that evoke winter and Setsubun
- A special feature of recommended picture books for Christmas that will captivate 2-year-olds!
- [For Age 4] Must-Read in January! Picture Books to Enjoy Winter
[For 2-year-olds] Recommended Picture Books to Enjoy Reading in January (41–50)
The mountain bathhouse
The picture book “Yama no Ofuroyasan” is set in a mountain bathhouse.
All sorts of animals come to the bath in the mountains—monkeys, wild boars, and… huh? Even a snowman shows up! You can’t help but worry: won’t it melt if it gets in the hot water? So, what will happen to the snowman? The surprising secret of the bath at the end is delightful, and you’ll finish the story with a smile.
It’s a perfect book to read aloud before a cozy winter bath.
Snow (A Song Picture Book)
This is a picture book based on the lyrics of the Ministry of Education song “Yuki” (Snow).
In step with the lyrics, a little girl’s eyes sparkle at the sight of snow, and she slides down a snow-covered slide.
She’s experiencing winter with the free-spirited joy of childhood.
So captivated by the snow, she remembers her hat and scarf but forgets her gloves.
A dog later brings them to her—an adorable scene that shows just how absorbed she is in the snow.
It’s a picture book that conveys the charm of snow and the fun of playing in it, so be sure to sing along as you read it with your child.
snow play
On a cold winter morning, when children look out the window and see the snow has piled up, they get excited, don’t they? This picture book lets parents rediscover that sense of excitement and enjoy it together with their children.
The story begins when Little Pig looks out the window in the morning and sees that snow has fallen.
On snowy days, it’s thrilling to think about what kinds of games to play outside.
Snowball fights, sledding, building snowmen—many activities come to mind, but what did Little Pig choose to do? It might be nice to ask children what games they’d like to play when it snows.
snowball
The picture book Snowball, featuring the adorable Tottoru rolling snow, is utterly charming.
One morning, Tottoru notices that snow has fallen and makes a small snowball.
Then he starts rolling it over the snow, and the snowball grows bigger and bigger.
Before he knows it, he’s reached the top of a hill—and the snowball tumbles down.
What will happen to the snowball? The exciting turn of events will surely make children’s hearts race.
It’s a perfect read-aloud for winter that conveys the joy of playing in the snow.
The Land of Snowmen
The picture book on the next page, Snowman Country, begins with Hop making a snowman.
Hop names the snowman “Pepe.” Pepe has to return to the country of snowmen.
Because Hop loves Pepe, he asks to go to the snowman country together.
It’s a very heartwarming story.
It’s also recommended to enjoy the story while talking with children about what the snowman country might be like.