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by Taj L. Mihelich (Author), Taj L. Mihelich (Illustrator)
Bernie is one of the top bike builders in the world. His bikes are so fast and so beautifully made that bike racers and wealthy bike collectors alike buy up every bike he can make. It is sad to him that the bikes he builds all end up being sent far away and that none of his close friends seem interested in them. After a talk with his friend Monty the Corgi, Bernie learns that his friends (who are not bike racers) think they can't fit on his high-performance-built-for-speed bikes. Bernie sees this as a design challenge and sets to work building bikes his friends can ride.
On the first test ride of Monty's new bike they pass the pizza shop where all the friend's hangout. T Rex, Bat, the Hamsters and Beaver all doubt that bikes could be made to fit them too. Bernie sets to work designing and building bikes for all of them (except for Beaver, but that is another story). All the new bikes work wonderfully and on a long ride near the sea they run into their friend Shark. Shark is happy to see them all out riding together and wishes he could also join the fun, but there's just no way that a Shark could ride a bike... or is there?
Written and Illustrated by former BMX world champion Taj Mihelich.
"In tight circles around a broad range of cycling subcultures old and new, BMX innovator, artist, animal lover and entrepreneur Taj Mihelich is a legend. A shy, clever, self-deprecating legend.
As a rider, Taj's influence on ramp, street and trail riding still resonates three decades after he burst onto the BMX scene.
As an entrepreneur, Taj's thoughtful, slightly irreverent perspective on the fun and freedom of riding a bicycle has inspired an army of smiling cyclers to follow his tire tracks worldwide.
"Bernie the Bike Builder" is the brightest peek yet into the colorful world of Taj Mihelich's busy mind. Whimsically written and vividly illustrated by the life-long lover of all things two-wheeled, Taj's first book follows an industrious rabbit and his Corgi pal Monty as the unlikely pair craft custom bicycles for a curious band of animal friends.
A sublime allegory about creatures and dreams big and small, "Bernie the Bike Builder" packs Seussian levels of heart and light into a story for all ages. Where the animals in Taj's head dream of going might surprise you. How they get there will blow your mind."
-Harold McGruther
