I was first drawn to the illustration on the cover. For me, the first thing I look for in a picture books are the illustrations so I was excited to find that the illustrations were excellent.

The story itself flows nicely and keeps the readers attention. Some help understanding the Russian words would have been helpful. My kids were asking questions I had to look up to answer. Perhaps a glossary at the back would be helpful?

This would be an excellent picture book to give to someone facing a big move or change.

I am so happy to see cultural book going out into stores. As an American reader, I have said so many times that I hate seeing the same old thing. I think especially here in America we need more stories like these. These stories are very important to America's culture, and also the current political climate. Many people (arguably all the people) in America have done this. Their ancestors came from far away to make a better life, or even to start over from something going on in their own country. I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for my great-great grandparents who came over from Europe. And even still there are people who are still coming and will come. So with a country, with many cultures, it's nice to see something that highlights the difference in place. Not to dived the two, but to show differences that make each culture special. And that way, the family in this story can celebrate their heritage; Victor shares (shows around NYC) to Gina. They share their thoughts and interests.

It's a good message for children to learn. Not only with moving to a new town within a country (or even outside the country) and meeting new people which is hard. Even going to a new school is hard. These all have the same idea attached to them. Being brave and being able to try new things. I loved two cultures come together peacefully. I hope that this would give young kids the courage to be interested in cultures other than their own. Maybe even talk to kids from a different background.

A sweet children's book (based on a true story) about a dog's journey from Siberia to New York City. The illustrations are excellent and they really brought the story to life. Highly recommend this book for children and dog lovers.

Really cute story told from the dog’s perspective about her journey from Siberia to what I’m assuming is NYC. She didn’t at first love her new city and was very homesick until she met a friend who showed her all of the things a dog should love about NYC. The illustrations were hands down my favorite part of this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the story of a family moving to the US from Russia in 1978 from the perspective of their dog Gina. The story of Gina's fears of moving and leaving her friends and foods and familiar places is absolutely charming. The art is delightful! But there are a lot of lists of people who aren't identified, and lists of foods that aren't identified despite their being pictures of the people and the food on the page. The story was nice. I'd totally recommend it for a child facing a big move. But I either want more explanation of the things in Gina's life, or less.

Moving to a different country and coming up against a different culture through the eyes of a dog named Gina; a story that is based on the true tale of the Backer family who moved from the Soviet Union to the US in 1978. Visually stunning, with lively illustrations, fast-paced, nostalgic and quirky, Bernstein's graphic novel is one I will certainly be coming back to.

This is an adorable picture book with a heartwarming story. Based on a true story, Gina from Siberia tells the tale of how Gina, a dog and her family emigrated from Siberia to the United States in 1978. Told from Gina's perspective, we follow her and her family through their travels, settling into their new home in New York, and the friendship that developed between Gina and her new friend, Victor. The illustrations accompanying this story are detailed and colorful. Overall, a cute and enjoyable read.

Thank you to the authors (Jane Bernstein and Charlotte Glynn), Animal Media Group LLC and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely story based on true events. Gina is a small dog, living a happy life in Serbia, where she has 6 beds to choose from, a comfy laundry pile and friends in nearby apartments. One day, it's announced that they are to leave Serbia, seeking a better life in the USA. Along the way they travel by plane and train, and discover that animals are not allowed on the journey. Mama disguises Gina in an effort to get her safely to their home. Will Gina make it to America undiscovered? And if she does, will she ever be happy again?

I liked how the illustrations started brightly, when Gina was happy, but became darker and more muted as she travelled and left her happy life behind. I also liked how the story focussed on an animal's point of view, rather than that of a human as this gives a fresh look at an event from history.
I think my favourite part was the description of what Gina saw along her journey, along with the illustrations which are ideal for children to look along with Gina as they read with an adult.

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to access an advanced e-copy of this book for review via NetGalley.

This is an interesting story about a family and their dog, Gina, who travel from Siberia to the United States in 1978. The story is told from the dog’s perspective and is based on a true story. I think this is a wonderful story about cultural differences and opens up a great topic for discussion with children on how our country was formed. I was also touched by how hard the family worked to keep their family dog from being discovered during the trip from Austria to Rome.
Thank you to Animal Media Group and NetGalley for the chance to read this picture book in exchange for my honest review, my opinions are my own.

A heart-warming story of a dog's journey together with its family from Siberia to New York City in search of greener pastures. Gina, our main character who is a dog, gets to see a lot of wonderful and strange things along the way. Living in a new city, far from her best friend, Gina gets lonely but eventually she gets the hang of the place and come to like his new home and new friends.

I especially like the part where Gina writes a letter to her best friend who is also a dog; and also the part where she finally decided to introduce herself to her neighbors and made friends with them.

I'm living in a foreign country now, away from my friends and I can relate to Gina's story and I'm very happy that things have turned out great for her.

It can be lonely moving to a new city, but taking that tiny step to say hello and be nice to people, great friendships await. In this book, Gina shows that you have the power to make things happen if you believe in yourself.

Book Review
Title: Gina from Siberia
Author: Jane Bernstein
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Rating: **
Review: So, all I know about this book is that it is a true story based on the journey of a dog called Gina travelling from Siberia to the USA at the end of the Cold War. While I didn’t know this was a children’s book, I was expecting a graphic novel, so I ended up very disappointed with Gina from Siberia.
All this story was about is a dog’s thoughts on moving from one country to another and it doesn’t even contain any social and political commentary but solely focuses on the dog’s thoughts of losing her home and friends and having to make new ones in another country.
While I did think this would be a good book for children about learning to value the important things and that you can always make new friends no matter where you live, I personally felt let down because this wasn’t what I was expected when I requested the book.

Very charming short story about a dog - sweet little terriet Gina.. And more. Love. Sadness of leaving home. The joy caused by finding new home. Nice, sometimes funny illustrations.

Thank you @netgalley & @animalmediagroup (with a little help from authors #janebernstein and #charlotteglynn and illustrator @anyadesnitskaya ) for this review copy. Creative Nonfiction Picture Book GINA FROM SIBERIA was released 10/26/18.
The year is 1978 and while wire terrier Gina views Cold War Moscow through rose-colored glasses (standing in long bread lines = playtime with doggy BFF Gaidar!) but it is all she knows. Her human parents, seeking a better life, move the family 5,681 miles away to a strange place called New York - disguising Gina as a baby to keep the family together. Once settled in NYC, Gina struggles to overcome her homesickness. Spoiler: She can accept the friendship of Doberman Victor and get to know her new city while keeping Gaidar and her human cousins in Moscow in her heart.
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This book has extra cool points for being based on a true story; though the authors’ connection to the real Gina isn’t clear.
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Give this book to: Any reader struggling with change or homesickness.*
An American Xennial who was playing with Barbie dolls as the Berlin Wall fell, it was a twist to see the USSR portrayed in a positive light. In that regard, Gina’s story can also be a conversation-starter about people’s perspectives and the world changing.
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#ginafromsiberia #bookstagram #bookreview #picturebook #nonfictionpicturebook #bookblogger #russia #ussr #dogbook #bibliophile

This story follows the move of a family and their dog from Siberia to New York. It is told from the dog's perspective. It is based on an actual move that happened in 1978.

I liked the pictures and the mood of the book. The story progressed naturally and kept the reader's interest. I found the abundant use of Russian words to be a bit much for a children's book. Obviously, the character names needed to be Russian, but the mention of some of the foods (especially with no explanation of what these foods are) made for difficult reading with little payoff for the trouble.

Overall, it was a sweet story with good pictures. Personally, I would check it out from the library to read once or twice rather than purchasing it for longer perusal.

I loved the illustrations so much I could frame them and put them on my wall. The quality was that high. The illustrator has an extremely good sense of space and lighting, and we can feel that they love playing with it. Good news: I also loved the narration. It is the story of a dog, Gina, who lives in Siberia and who will have to adapt to a major change in their life, as their family moves to New York City.

From there, unfolds a story of feeling sad, feeling scared, feeling angry, feeling homesick, but little by little, making some friends, adapting to the city, and enjoying the new life as it is. This book was a great story for kids, and I loved that it was told through the eyes of a dog and based on a true story .

Gina from Siberia is a sweet, quick read about a dog named Gina that immigrates with her family to the United States in the 70's. Gina decides that she will be sad forever about having to leave but once she realizes the love of her family, and the extent to which they will keep her safe as they take ever mode of transport over the course of their journey, she changes her mind. There is so much that she loves from her home in Siberia, though, and so much to miss when she comes to the U.S. Soon she discovers a friend, a friend that helps her see the good things to learn to love in her new home.

The artwork was nicely done--the details that the images included (down to the slight references to the things that were happening in pop culture during the time) are delightful. There are times when the author lists names of foods and things that were seen and it feels overwhelming (especially when you don't really know what those things are, maybe an index could have been added at the end?) but that might add to the fast paced thoughts of Gina, as well as, her feelings of overwhelmed-ness at the great number of things to be found in NYC.

This book does a great job of introducing the concept of moving from a place that you love to a new, unknown and yet to be loved home.

As always, I received a electronic copy of this book from Netgalley and Animal Media Group.

A very sweet book about the sadness of leaving home. And the joy of finding a new one. Told in the voice of a sweet terrier, Gina. Based on a family's true story! I

Delightful Dog Travels from Siberia to the United States - based on a true story.
Children will love the cute dog and her adventures as she travels. Pictures showing the foods and such from Siberia and then the new foods and such that she experiences in the United States will give children an idea of what people ate in both places in this time period.
Nice humor, I laughed out loud at least twice at various antics.
Clever dog "parents" coming up with a way to smuggle their beloved pet onto a train.
The only thing missing is a glossary of definitions and how to say the Russian terms. Children can guess what some of them are, but it would be helpful to know how to say them as well.
A great book to read to your child as s/he sits on your lap. A teacher could place this on the overhead so that students could see the details on the pages. I see a lot of possible lessons in both vocabulary and history for students and teachers.

"Gina From Siberia" is about a family who immigrates from Siberia to the United States. Only, instead of being told from an adult or a child, the story is told from the perspective of the family dog, a miniature wire-haired fox terrier named Gina. Readers learn of Gina's life and routine in Siberia, the family's long and arduous journey from Siberia to New York City, and Gina learning to settle into her new home and lifestyle.

This book is a well-done illustrated story in which, young children can enjoy. Readers will be able to relate to moving from one place to another. Animal lovers will be able to project their love to Gina, and her family for refusing to leave their beloved dog behind.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story of a Russian family’s immigration from Siberia, Russia to New York City in the USA told from the viewpoint of the family dog.

This book is based on the author’s own story of immigrating to the US and their real family dog named Gina who came with them. Obviously, Gina’s feelings about all of it are imagined. Most of the book is focused on what Gina likes about Siberia, their long journey to the US by many trains and a plane. And then about how Gina feels about her new home and how it takes a little while to get used to it. It feels a little bit like a typical moving story or travel story with some foreign vocabulary thrown in. Recent years have seen a lot of more emotionally wrought immigration stories. This one is more subtle and humorous, which is fine. It is good for kids to realize there are all kinds of immigrant stories. Probably the biggest fans of this book are going to be dog lovers who won’t be able to get enough of the cute illustrations of Gina and her adventures.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.