Here's a fun fact: when I was in grade 2 or 3, I used to love memorising (or learning by-heart as we used to say) poems from Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. And then, when my father would bring home colleagues for dinner, I would insist that I recite them a poem before they sat down to eat. No one needed to coax or encourage me at all. I would insist on being heard.

No doubt, this was an unappetising appetiser to dinner, but there was little our guests could do but grin and clap weakly.

As I passed through school, I learned the prescribed Keats and Shelley and Wordsworth and wrote what the poet meant by 'Truth is Beauty and Beauty is Truth' and expanded on the theme of Man vs Nature in Ozymandias. But somewhere along the way, I fell a little out of love with poetry and by the time I was an adult, I'd convinced myself that I didn't 'get' poetry either.

And then a strange thing happened. When I was asked to write my first picture book for children, I wrote it in rhyme. And then I wrote another one and another one and another one. Now, I'm not placing my rhyming stories in the same shelf as Shelley, but I couldn't understand why I naturally defaulted to rhyme most of the time (see what I did there) when asked to write for children.

After writing 6 books in rhyme, I think I understand now. The fun I had in writing these picture books in rhyme, was the closest I came to the thrill of reading, by-hearting and reciting Dahl's poems to our unsuspecting dinner guests as a child. I suppose I was trying to recapture that feeling.

Anyway, seeing that it's International Poetry Day, here are my six picture books in rhyme, all published by Pratham Books, all free to read, download and share on StoryWeaver!

1. Gappu Can't Dance illustrated by Krishna C. Nair

   Everyone in Class 1A knows Gappu can’t dance. When the students raise their left hand, she raises her right! Can Komal Ma’am get Gappu to dance? A story about the joy of dancing, using the concept of opposites.

1. Amma, There's a Bat in my Sambar illustrated by Adrija Ghosh

   Suppi is not at all happy to see a bat flying about in his house. In fact, he is quite scared of the bat. How can Suppi and Amma get the bat back to her family?

1. Sports Day illustrated by Jemma Jose

   Lace up your shoes, drink some water, and get ready for Sports Day. Happy, sad, nervous, excited - the students of KV School are feeling so many emotions. Aska-lakadi-gala-galoo, cheer them, won’t you?

1. I Love Me illustrated by Ekta Bharti

   Rubina has just moved to a new home and doesn’t know anyone there. No one wants to play with her. Can Rubina find a friend of her own?

1. The Trouble with Trouble illustrated byDamini Gupta

   Trouble’s missing! Who Trouble? Only the naughtiest dog you’ve ever met. Help Abhi look for her?

1. I Know My Rights! illustrated by Sunando C.

   The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child lists out the basic rights that children have. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what colour your skin is, whether you practice a religion or not, what language you speak, whether you are a boy or a girl or haven’t decided yet – you have the right to these rights! This poster books lists out some of the rights of the child.

I have tried to make my way back to poetry as an adult, and spaces like The Alipore Post and Poetry is Not a Luxury help, as do friends who send me things they loved reading and think I will enjoy to. I am so grateful to them. When I read something now, I feel less pressure to 'get it' these days, and am happy to be able to just read such beautifully crafted sentences and thoughts.

So happy International Poetry Day! Read a poem, write one, share one with someone you love. And remember, it doesn't always have to rhyme!