Hello! Welcome back to all you Calling Caldecott devotees — and welcome to those here for the first time this fall. This is the final post of a week in which Robin, Lolly, and I are making preliminary lists of the picture books eligible for Caldecott recognition that have, early in the process, struck a chord with each of us. Perhaps a book looks like a definite contender; perhaps it presents something of significance to discuss; perhaps it's simply a book one of us has fallen in love with. I'm sure you all have seen 2014 picture books that fall into one of those categories! And we hope to hear what they are. (Thanks for all the comments and suggestions so far.)

It's not surprising that we haven't listed all the same books; it's also not surprising that there is substantial overlap. The same thing is likely happening with the actual Caldecott committee, as the members share their own suggestions for potential contenders.

So without further ado, here are some of the books that have caught my eye, my attention, and/or my love :) so far:

The Farmer and the Clown (Beach Lane) by Marla Frazee. Yes, there is a lot of love for this book in the office, and for good reason. It's a wordless book with a emotionally resonant story; significant character development; brilliant use of page turns to tell the story and show the passage of time — all achieved solely through pictures.

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (Eerdmans), illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant. In complete contrast: all about words; so many words organically incorporated into Sweet's controlled-chaos collage illustrations. (Will someone on the committee feel the need to count them all? if so good luck!)

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker (Chronicle) illustrated by Christian Robinson, written by Patricia Hruby Powell. A perfect marriage of form and content (ie, it's dazzling on every level).

Viva Frida (Porter/Roaring Brook) illustrated and written by Yuyi Morales. A wholly original and daring distillation of the creative process; I can't wait to hear what you all have to say about it.

Draw! (Simon) illustrated by Raul Colon. Very different in setting, palette, and style from last year's honor book Journey, yet with intriguing similarities.

Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) illustrated by Rick Allen, written by Joyce Sidman. Here it's a toss-up as to which is stronger, the text or the art; take your pick.

The Iridescence of Birds: A Book about Henri Matisse (Porter/Roaring Brook) illustrated by Hadley Hooper, written by Patricia MacLachlan. The transformative power of art, made manifest; I love how the art captures the essence of, but doesn't try to reproduce, Matisse's work.

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole (Candlewick) illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett. A true picture book (text and art working together interdependently) with sustained humor and enormous child appeal.

SUCH a preliminary list. From now on I'll be busy tracking down the suggestions of my fellow Calling Caldecott bloggers and commenters: discovering new books, adding to the list, comparing and re-weighing and perhaps taking books off the list -- just like the actual committee.