Some of the books I read from 1983 and earlier:
Many books from Scholastic Book Orders (you could earn points for buying books and my sister and I had enough points to get a camera that took 110 cartridge film!).
For Christmas one year my parents gave me and my sister these books (it was probably my idea for a gift):
“A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein
“Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
Other books we would check out again and again from the school library and local public library included:
“The Golden Egg Book (Little Golden Book)” by Margaret Wise Brown
“The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams and art by William Nicholson
“The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes” by DuBose Heyward and illustrated by Marjorie Flack
“The Witch Next Door” by Norman Bridwell
“The Witch’s Christmas” by Norman Bridwell
“Heathcliff: One, Two, Three You’re Out” by George Gately
“Sweet Savage Heathcliff” by George Gately
“Heathcliff” by George Gately
“Heathcliff The Best of Friends: Volume V of Here’s Heathcliff” by George Gately
Various ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books
Little Golden books
Disney books – my mom ordered these and we received one book a month
Clifford the Big Red Dog books
Dr. Seuss books
Berenstain Bears books
Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter books
Frances books by Russell Hoban
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile books by Bernard Waber