Best series books for 2-3 year olds

Books that feature the same characters are an excellent way to give toddlers the repetition they crave while providing them with a touch of variance.

Leslie Patricelli’s Baby series

SUMMARY Solid color backgrounds and baby’s simply memorable drawing are a perfect place to start 18 month olds on a very robust book series that can continue until they are 3-years-old. These are all featured as board books for extremely inquisitive page rippers. Minimal words per page allow caregivers to customize the story based on their child’s experiences.
FOR KIDS WHO LOVE quick stories, big kid experiences and changes, rhyming text

Anna Kang’s Two Friends series

SUMMARY White backgrounds accentuate the feelings and emotions of two creatures navigating friendship, STEM concepts, and big feelings.
FOR KIDS WHO LOVE Characters experiencing big emotions, short stories, hearing the reader use distinct voices

Pip & Posy by Axel Scheffler

SUMMARY Bright colors and detailed illustrations capture the up-beat and honest narratives of two friends dealing with tough situations like fear, disagreeing with a friend, and telling the truth.
FOR KIDS WHO LOVE solving a problem, bubbly illustrations, squishy book covers

Lily & Milo by Pauline Oud

SUMMARY Older friend Lily and mischievous Milo go on adventures while expressing their own individuality and learning about how to interact in the world around them. Readers are invited to help Lily and Milo make choices such as what clothes to wear for the right occasion and what items to take with them on their trips outside.
FOR KIDS WHO LOVE making choices, being helpers, search-and-find stories, hidden objects

How Do Dinosaurs…? by Jane Yolen

SUMMARY A series of books that predominantly looks at day-to-day manners through the lens of misbehaving dinosaurs (with scientific names under each illustration). The subject matter is clearly in the book title so this makes it especially easy for selecting based on the child’s interest/needs. My one qualm is that the dinosaurs are all male in every single book.
FOR KIDS WHO LOVE dinosaurs, silliness, correcting someone’s mistakes

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

SUMMARY A persistent and kind truck rolls through the countryside interacting with the same animals in every book. A great introduction to “longer” stories if the child has a fascination with transportation
FOR KIDS WHO LOVE Things that go, farm animals, sound effects, peek-a-boo lift-the-flaps

Gossie & Friends by Olivier Dunrea

SUMMARY Repetition and memorable illustrations draw toddlers into this series about a wide-range of curious personalities
FOR KIDS WHO LOVE Ducks, a community of friends, small-sized books for little hands

Llama Llama by Anna Dewdney

SUMMARY An excellent series to grow older with, I recommend starting with the originals then, as the child turns 4+, you can introduce them to the newer books that are “inspired” by Anna Dewdney.
FOR KIDS WHO LOVE rhyming text, familiar situations and problems, happy endings for tricky scenarios