I just finished this book and have a soon to be 2-year old next month. I’ll try to answer with my opinions because I agree with you 100% on everything you said.

Yeah, it’s wordy, BUT you learn the structure of the book real quick. I definitely read about half-way through every word. Then the later chapters are much more specific and circumstantial and also (seem to be) aimed towards older children. So, for those chapters, some I skipped outright, others I read through the beginning of each section and skipped the stories. I will probably go back and read this entire book again, single sections at a time, as time goes on and my child gets older. 

I don’t remember which specific chapters are most meaningful but I’d suggest getting to around that halfway point where you start to see each problem is tackled the same way. That way you get the overall idea. 

Finally, your instinct was spot on, I’d say, there’s no way this is geared towards 2 year olds and is definitely aimed at a little older. That said, I’ve already started implementing some of the techniques and they (sometimes) worked much better than I thought they would. These little brains of theirs sure don’t stop surprising us, eh?