Author and photographer Michael S. Class has used digital composite photography to place his twelve year-old son, Anthony, in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong, and on Normandy beach on D-Day.
Father and son labored for nearly four years in their garage filled with props from an army surplus store; the garage walls were covered with blue bed sheets. The result: It looks like Anthony really did meet Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, FDR, Lou Gehrig, Charles Lindbergh, and Audie Murphy. The Web site, www.MagicPictureFrame.com, displays some of the book's captivating photographs.
"I wanted to capture the interest of today's kids," says Class, "by turning American history into a grand time travel adventure.” The book is recommended for young adults, Grade 6 to Grade 12.
The author says that the book’s unique approach can help teachers. Anthony’s conversations with the people of the past are based on things they really said, all properly sourced. Designed to be useful in the classroom, the book includes fun “to do” lists containing hundreds of books, movies, music, and places to visit. Everything on the lists is content-rated. The author’s Web site includes a final exam.
"The storyline is fictional, but the history is authentic," says Class.
"It was a challenge," says Class. "I had to go back to school to learn digital photography and compositing. But I was on a mission. After 9/11, I was shocked to see so many adults confused about the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, heroes and villains. It was a time when America's children were looking for guidance - and too many adults were behaving badly, or offering a distorted view of American history. I wondered: What would the heroes of the past say to the children of today?"
Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame answers that question, by letting the heroes of the past speak directly to Anthony. Anthony learns that the heroes of the past have something important to tell us: That the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose, and doing the right thing always matters.
The book teaches the moral lessons of American history, and prepares kids for the future. The chapter about Lindbergh’s flight is about perseverance. The story of Lou Gehrig is one of a virtuous life. The chapter about Thomas Edison is really about business. The story of Apollo 11 is about wonder, taking risks, and courage. The story of Dr. Jonas Salk and the cure for polio is really about dedicating one’s life to a higher purpose. Anthony’s observation of D-Day and the liberation of the death camps during the Holocaust is a testament to the reality of evil and the need to fight it.
"Every kid should read this book. It's important," says Anthony, the time-traveler. "My favorite chapter is when I go back in time to meet my great-grandfather at Ellis Island. I am with him the day he becomes an American." Personal family photographs were used in Anthony's favorite chapter.
Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame ($35) is available at www.MagicPictureFrame.com, or by calling toll-free: 1-800-247-6553. The book is also available at select bookstores and on amazon.com.
The book is published by Magic Picture Frame Studio, a new publishing company in the Pacific Northwest, dedicated to telling the stories of the past to the children of today in exciting new ways. Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame is the first book in a planned series of historical time-travel adventures.
