On Dec. 15, children at Carnegie Library in Homestead will be able to wander beneath a sky full of kites, airplanes, dragons, clouds and hot air balloons. They will be able to read next to an inviting, glowing hearth. They can search for magical, friendly faces in the bark of the two towering trees, which guard the entryway.

This children's room may have no shelves, no books and no furniture yet, but it does have a name, thanks to youngsters who've been watching it evolve: They call it The Sky Room.

The project to overhaul the children's room began shortly after July 4. Grants from the Allegheny Foundation, for $50,000, and Janney Investments, for $10,000, plus donated time and materials, paid for the newly refurbished room.

Along with the murals, the room also will soon house new shelves and a new cataloging system designed to make finding material easier.

"I just can't believe how awesome it's turned out," said Emily Salsberry, children's librarian.

She said artists Elizabeth White and Ian Green submitted proposals and that the library board liked each so much they hired them both. The result was Ms. White's bright sky contrasted with Mr. Green's dark trees and hearth.

"I wanted to wed the earth to the sky," Mr. Green said, referring to the ceiling high trees he was painting at the entrance to the room.

He said he based his mural on catalpa trees, his favorite. Plywood branches wove across the entryway.

When it's complete, more branches will hang down, like a curtain. The faces that peer from the painted bark add a bit of "psychedelia" to the library, he said.

Although he's painted murals before, this one has been his favorite.

"[Painting for children] has put a lot of light into the project. Kids informed the whimsy," he said.

One of his many critics, a teenage boy, checked the room out while Mr. Green painted.

"It's better than I thought it'd be. Thought it'd just be for little kids. But you can take brothers and cousins and sit in here with them," the teen said.

Ms. Salsberry is hoping the teens' room and circulation desk will be next to get an overhaul.

"The teens really need a space to hang out and do their homework. This community really needs that," she said.

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