For todlers, provide them with a large selection of kids books and let them pick which one they want you to read. Provide books with simple short sentences and pictures on each page. It is ok if your child picks the same book everyday to read. Select books which are kind and gentle . This means the characters in the book treat each other well.
Some books have rhymes.
Some have repetitive sentences. Some are interactive, which means the child can press and hear a sound, or can pull up an insert. I came across some books which have small icons above words. For example, there may be a small picture of the sun above the word sun. This allowed me to pause when I came to that word and my four year old could guess the word looking at the picture.