Author/Photographer Depicts His ‘Time-Traveling’ Son in Photo History for Kids -- Book Offers Moral Lessons For Today
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, 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, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, 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 made my career in the business world. I had to go back to school to learn digital photography and compositing. But I was on a mission. After 9/11, children were looking for guidance.” Class wondered: “What would the heroes of the past say to the children of today?”
Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame answers that question. The book teaches the moral lessons of American history, and prepares kids for the future.
"Every kid should read this book," 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 this chapter.
Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame ($35) is available at www.MagicPictureFrame.com, on amazon.com, or by calling toll-free: 1-800-247-6553.
The book is published by Magic Picture Frame Studio: the publishing company dedicated to telling the stories of the past to the children of today in exciting new ways.
