I picked up Linda McGurk’s There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather on a whim. I was home from college on a brief family visit, dreading the return of another winter in Southeast Idaho. I had been panicking over the thought of keeping two small children occupied in temperatures that can drop below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, so McGurk’s guide to raising children in Scandinavian temps felt relevant.

The temperature had already begun to drop when my copy of There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather arrived. I stole every possible moment to read it as quickly as possible, whether while nursing my newborn, on the way to the grocery store, or during the precious moments while my children slept. Winter wouldn’t get the best of us this time!

It turns out that There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather is more of a memoir than a how-to. I had expected a parenting guide, but this book focuses more on McGurk’s personal experience growing up in Sweden and raising her children in America, how the political climate of Sweden and other Scandinavian countries encourages people to stay active outdoors, and the importance of raising children who spend significant time outdoors.

The advice I did find was sound. I felt more confident in my ability to keep my children outdoors. I felt encouraged that doing so was indeed critical, as I’d been feeling. Although much of the information in this book can be found elsewhere (I’m thinking of the growing ‘forest school’ movement), it was a nice, readable, succinct testimony of childhood outdoors. There’s no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothes.

This book is not geared toward homeschooling, but parents of any educational persuasion can find relevant advice. I also enjoyed the insight into Scandinavian culture; there is a whole glossary of terms that don’t translate well into English, which helped to define the cultural values McGurk described. Most importantly, reading this book has helped me to prioritize taking the kids outside and allowing them to make their own adventures.