A kid's-eye view of the Free State drapes gracefully along the walls of the North County Library.
The five colorful panels show sea gulls flying over boats cruising the Chesapeake Bay, crabs peering from a barrel, a rockfish, an Oriole and a field lush with black-eyed Susans.
The crayoned banners are the work of students from Richard Henry Lee Elementary School in Glen Burnie, who chose scenes from Maryland's history and landscape.
PTO President Cynthia Pulliam got the idea for the voluntary project from an evening television show that sometimes highlights tidbits about Maryland. She spread the word through the organization and recruited young artists, who worked on their squares at home.
"I want the children to be more aware of their surroundings," said Mrs. Pulliam, whose son, Jesse, 7, also did a sketch of the bay.
Nicole Raistrick, 7, drew a 5-inch-square section of Maryland's state flag from a picture she found in an encyclopedia.
Her brother, Sean, 9, chose a subject he learned about last year in social studies class.
"I wanted to draw about the Chesapeake Bay to show some people and some boats riding around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge," said Sean, a fourth-grader. "I wanted to draw some sea gulls flying over the bridge."
"This was the first thing that came to his mind when he thought of Maryland," said his mother, Denise Raistrick.
Ricky Chilipko, 6, did a sketch from memory of blue sky hanging over the beach at Ocean City on a warm summer's day.
His sister, Amber, 10, did a sketch of a blue rockfish she found in travel magazines.
Their father, Richard Chilipko, said he thought the project was a good experience for the children.
"It gives them a background on their home state," said Mr. Chilipko.
Courtney Lippincott, 7, did sketches of the black-eyed Susan and the entrance to Fort McHenry, where her father volunteers during summers as a historical interpreter.
"The black-eyed Susan is really special because it's our state DTC flower and it's pretty," said Courtney, a second-grader.
The students' drawings will be on display at North County Library through Saturday.