I have two children and hundreds of their books as well. What has always
impressed me about children’s books is how well made they are. The stories
are usually really good and well written. The books themselves are mostly
well constructed. But most of all, the art work is superb. The drawings,
water colours and more are sublime. It’s why I can never tire of the better
ones, even if I have read them 20 times. The illustrations are rich with
details that you miss the first few times but eventually pick up. Like the
red shoes on this little boy.
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Smart People I Know 
Just getting around to seeing this now, and I know what you mean.
Even tho my girls are practically all grown up, even THEY still appreciate many of their childhood books.
Periodically, I will go down to the basement & leaf through some of my favourites, an it never ceases to amaze me how fabulous much of the artwork is in these books, even though the artists are not necessarily well-known!
I can even vividly recollect some of the illustrations from books I had when I was growing up!
e.g. The Towne Mouse & The Country Mouse, The Elves & the Shoemaker, and my personal fav, Wyken, Blyken & Nod. 🙂
I don’t know whatever became of these books, but the images from them will stay with me forever.
Yes: I feel the same way with the kids books: the images stick with you for along time.