The Way Cool License Plate Book

By Leonard Wise

Everywhere you go you see vanity plates. The best of them are those that make you think and then reward you with a good laugh. Now there is a book that captures all the fun and excitement of vanity plates from across North America.

Inside The Way Cool License Plate Book you'll find plates that show how their owners feel about the cars they drive (or wish they drove!), the work they do, the sports they play and the dreams they have.

This book is the perfect companion for any vacation or road trip. Parents will be happy knowing that the games in this book strengthen math and reading skills as well as provide hours of fun. Kids will enjoy spotting plates from across the country and reading the hundreds of vanity plates inside. Categories of vanity plates include:

• Cars
• The work we do
• Sports
• Animals
• Places
• Music
• PL8 fun

and there are 8 pages of games for car trips.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Release date: Sep 7, 2002
• ISBN: 9781770853836

Leonard Wise

Born and raised in Hudson, New York, Len spent three years in the 82nd Airborne Paratroopers. After service, he received his F.C.C. Engineering License and worked in radio for a few years before studying writing at Manhattan’s New School of Social Research. In addition to Diggstown, Len is the author of five other published novels, a number of them bestsellers: The Big Biazarro, Doc's Legacy, The Judean, Center Street, and Center Street—The Women. Since being in California, he has been a Story Analyst at several of the Major Studios and has taught writing at UCLA. He is also a noted artist with constant sales of his paintings.

Book preview

title_page

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

HISTORY

GAMES

OCCUPATIONS

ANIMALS

CAR TERMS

EXCLAMATIONS

SPORTS TERMS

SAYINGS

Published by Firefly Books Ltd., 2002

Copyright © 2002 Leonard Wise

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

Published in Canada in 2002 by

Firefly Books Ltd.

50 Staples Avenue, Unit 1

Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 0A7

ISBN: 978-1-77085-383-6

License plate illustrations by Christine Gilham & George Walker

The Publisher acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program for its publishing activities.

INTRODUCTION

Most people know that the word vain means to be conceited. The word vanity means being vain—having too much pride in your appearance. These days, that word is connected not just to people. A personalized license plate—the kind that people pay extra money for—is called a vanity plate.

Next time you’re out for a drive or walking through a parking lot, check out the vehicles around you. Many of them have vanity plates. While most people still settle for ordinary, everyday plates, there are lots of folks who like to get personal with their cars.

For many people, a vanity plate is an extension of their personality. Quieter types may have a plate that shows only their name, nickname or initials. People who are less shy could have plates that express their love for their car, profession, partner, pet or favorite hobby or sport. A vanity plate can show a person’s playful side, mood or favorite saying, or it may be a friendly greeting. Outspoken types prefer to say something funny, trendy or cool, or to use their plates as a chance to brag.

Then again, there are some people who put on messages that are just plain crazy. For example, on one VW Beetle, the plate said BOBS MG. When someone commented to the owner that the car wasn’t an MG, the man replied, I’m not Bob. Go figure!

The possibilities are limited only by a person’s imagination and creativity. By dropping vowels or consonants, and using numbers in place of whole words or parts of them, people can get their point across with very few letters. For example, 2L8 2W8 = too late to wait. And 4U2NV = for you to envy. Get the idea? You can put most words on a plate, as long as you follow the government’s rules.

The pages of this book are filled with a fun and fascinating look at some of the endless possibilities for vanity plates. Have a good time decoding them. But this isn’t just a book of license plate pictures. There’s also a brief history of the use of license plates—plus lots of way cool facts.

Need something to do on your next long car trip? Try out the great license plate games in this book. You’ll be at your destination before you have a chance to ask, Are we there yet?

There are hours and hours of entertainment in The Way Cool License Plate Book. JST4U. HVFUN.

HISTORY

The license plate as we know it had simple beginnings. In 1901, it was nothing more than the owner’s initials painted on the back of the vehicle. Since those initials were too hard for policemen to find and to read, they made