I wish there were more long stories out there with detailed pictures on most pages, with lots of text but more visually broken up into segments.
I remember feeling the same way when my kids were starting to read. That kind of book doesn't seem to be as common nowadays -- I had better luck finding them at used-book stores and library sales than at regular bookstores.
Anyway, here are some of the books I was able to find that have the format you describe -- most are large-format and all have good illustrations but also a fair amount of challenging, interesting text.
Fiction:
The Minpins (Picture Puffin edition), by Roald Dahl
The Great Blueness, by Arnold Lobel
The Last Basselope, by Berke Breathed (creator of Bloom County)
The Book of Beasts, by E. Nesbit with illustrations by Inga Moore
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night, by Janet & Allan Ahlberg
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, by Rudyard Kipling with illustrations by Jerry Pinkney
How the Elephant Got Its Trunk, by Kipling with illustrations by Tim Raglin
Petronella, by Jay Williams with illustrations by Friso Henstra
Poetry:
Sir Cedric, by Roy Gerrard
The Remarkable Farkle McBride, by John Lithgow
Micawber, by Lithgow
Non-fiction:
Life Story, by Virginia Lee Burton
biographies of Columbus, Lincoln and others by the D'Aulaires (of 'Greek Mythology' fame)
Hope this helps!
