Read all of Slate’s stories about the 25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25 Years. On Oct. 8, 2010, the New York Times ran a story on its front page: “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.

UConn’s Alfred Guante reads to a John C. Daniels first grade class. In a dual-language classroom where “bienvenidos” and “welcome” share equal space, first graders did more than just listen to the ...