Stump the Librarian

Join Liz and Jill as we answer the questions “What year was the first phone invented?” and “What noise does a seahorse make?” We have a fact about buying books for the library and a road trip novel that you are sure to love! To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!  

Regarding telephones... 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/telephone/110260 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_telephone#:~:text=1667:%20Robert%20Hooke%20invents%20a,(non%2Delectrical)%20telephone. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/theres-a-1200-year-old-phone-in-the-smithsonian-collections-180947641/ 

"Alexander Graham Bell." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 May. 2025. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Alexander-Graham-Bell/15220. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026. 

Regarding Seahorses... 

Seahorses by Melissa Gish: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C921475 

Sea horse. (2024). Salem Press Primary Encyclopedia.  

https://www.livescience.com/46718-seahorses-growl.html 

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/sea-life/seahorse-facts/ 

https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/seahorses-make-racket 

www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/seahorse-fact-sheet 

https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/fishkeeping-news/seahorses-growl-when-theyre-stressed/ 

https://projectseahorse.org/ 

https://www.theseahorsetrust.org/seahorse-facts/ 

Pygmy seahorse camouflage: https://youtu.be/Q3CtGoqz3ww?si=uspCBEInzoqShwKr 

In this episode we answer the questions “How do skunks produce that stinky substance?” and “Which came first, Yeti or Bigfoot?” and “Is Bigfoot real?” We also share a turtle fact of the day from Librarian Laura and Liz recommends a heartwarming chapter book about a very important bear. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Laura’s fact of the day: The Book of Turtles by Sy Montgomery 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C922118  

Liz’s book recommendation: Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1192274  

Concerning skunks: 

"skunk." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 13 Jun. 2022. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/skunk/68133. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.   

https://www.discovermagazine.com/10-facts-about-the-striped-polecat-and-no-its-not-a-skunk-46050  

https://www.ourherald.com/articles/a-story-to-hang-onto-the-ultimate-skunk-remedy  

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/chemistry-skunk.html  

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ask-smithsonian-what-makes-skunk-spray-smell-so-terrible-180955553/  

Science of skunk spray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-4xNQuqZ1k  

Concerning Bigfoot & the Yeti: 

https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/online-exhibit/curators-choice/tracking-legend-bigfoot#:~:text=A%20Native%20American%20tradition%20in,the%20Sasquatch%20or%20Bigfoot%20legend  

https://www.history.com/articles/bigfoot-legend-newspaper  

 https://mil.wa.gov/the-legend-of-bigfoot  

https://www.livescience.com/24598-bigfoot.html  

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-so-many-people-still-believe-in-bigfoot-180970045/  

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220720-the-true-origin-of-sasquatch  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterson%E2%80%93Gimlin_film#  

Join Liz and Jill as we answer the questions “Are Maine Coons the largest cat?” and “Do orangutans eat oranges?” We have a fact about animal jobs and an adventure novel that you are sure to love! To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!  

Regarding Maine Coons... 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Why-Are-Maine-Coon-Cats-So-Big/648427 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Longhair-Cat-Breeds/649275#421786.toc 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Maine-coon-cat/472805 

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/maine-coon/#single-animal-text 

https://www.petmd.com/cat/general-health/big-cat-breeds 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/cat/106124 

https://web.archive.org/web/20150714021608/http://www.tica.org/index.php 

Regarding Orangutans... 

"Orangutan." World Book Kids, 2025, 

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar831672. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025. 

https://orangutan.org/ 

https://www.orangutan.org.uk/blog/orangutan-stories-the-art-of-nest-building 

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/orangutan/ 

Nest-building: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAz26FGACZc 

Orangutans by Nicki Clausen-Grace: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C911137 

Orangutans by Mara Grunbaum: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C588337 

In this episode we answer the questions “Can you hear bamboo grow?” and “How do you find out a tree’s age?” We also share a fact of the day from Data Coordinator Sheri and Liz recommends a chapter book about an octopus rescue with a lot of heart. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!    

Liz’s book recommendation: Three Blue Hearts by Lynne Kelly 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1235498 

Concerning bamboo: 

https://www.guaduabamboo.com/blog/where-does-bamboo-grow  

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giant-panda  

https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/bamboo  

https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/bamboo/273085  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizome  

Bamboo forest sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vky3vEL6Dc  

Concerning dendrochronology: 

https://www.nps.gov/grba/learn/historyculture/the-prometheus-story.htm  

https://www.nist.gov/how-do-you-measure-it/how-do-you-measure-age-tree  

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/dendrochronology/29924  

"tree." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 13 Nov. 2025. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/tree/277422#main-ada. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.  

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://redbuttegarden.org/media/documents/calculate-tree-age-activity.pdf  

https://youtu.be/MwNJC-IRgPE?si=bifxTMjO-J8U8kLG  

https://www.environmentalscience.org/dendrochronology-tree-rings-tell-us  

https://ltrr.arizona.edu/about/treerings  

https://www.arborday.org/  

Join Liz and Jill as we answer the questions “Can kangaroos hop backwards?” and “How hot is lava?” We have a fact about satellites and a dragon graphic novel that you are sure to love! To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!  

Regarding kangaroos... 

https://www.billabongsanctuary.com.au/red-kangaroo/ 

https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species/kangaroos 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo 

"kangaroo." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2025. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/kangaroo/275222. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025. 

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/big-red-roos-the-roo-files/2415/ 

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tree-kangaroo/ 

Kangaroos by Nicki Clausen-Grace: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C911135 

Kangaroos: Amazing Jumpers by Lisa M. Harrington: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C721420 

Regarding lava... 

"lava." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 12 Oct. 2023. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/lava/47378. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025. 

https://www.whoi.edu/ocean-learning-hub/ocean-topics/how-the-ocean-works/seafloor-below/volcanoes/lava-flows/ 

https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/lava-flows-destroy-everything-their-path 

“Eruption! The Story of Volcanoes.” Ganeri, Anita. DK Readers, 2015. 

https://youtu.be/0jKoOUZ1GBM?si=aA1k4D9pub_B97xo 

In this episode we answer the questions “Did George Washington eat pretzels?” and “How are hurricanes named & who names them?” We also share a fact of the day from Manager Karen and Jill recommends a captivating chapter book about a school for crime fighters. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!       

Karen’s Fact of the Day: Dung for Dinner by Christine Virnig 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C755338 

Jill’s book recommendation: The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1197812 

Concerning George Washington's pretzels: 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/german-pretzel-history-4796280 

"pretzel." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Jul. 2021. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/pretzel/61315#main-ada. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025. 

"George Washington." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 12 Feb. 2025. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/George-Washington/108779. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025. 

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/dining-at-mount-vernon 

https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/religious-history-pretzels 

https://www.history.com/articles/the-pretzel-a-twisted-history 

https://youtu.be/3whRvgEK8ZI?si=u5_q9qdDDXJ7ixig 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretzel 

Concerning hurricanes: 

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/hurricane 

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames_history.shtml 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_cyclone 

https://wmo.int/resources/wmo-fact-sheets/tropical-cyclone-naming 

"Hurricane." World Book Kids, 2025, 

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar830933. Accessed 05 Nov. 2025. 

Rafferty, John P.. "How Do Hurricanes Get Their Names?". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Aug. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/story/how-are-hurricanes-named. Accessed 5 November 2025. 

All About Hurricanes by Cody Crane: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C847225 

Join Liz and Jill as we answer the questions “how does mold grow on food?” and “Is a tater tot protein? What is a carbohydrate?” We have a fact about an African animal and a graphic novel that you are sure to love! To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!   

Regarding mold... 

https://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/science/activity/mold 

https://extension.umn.edu/preserving-and-preparing/are-molds-foods-dangerous 

https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/why-dont-we-get-sick-when-we-eat-moldy-blue-cheese 

https://greencitizen.com/blog/mold-in-compost/ 

https://www.sciencing.com/why-does-mold-grow-food-4966797/ 

https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-mold-food 

"Mold." World Book Kids, 2025, 

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar831547. Accessed 16 Oct. 

"penicillin." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 11 Jun. 2025. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/penicillin/390831. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025. 

Regarding nutrients... 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/carbohydrate/399389 

https://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/food-and-nutrition/353140#311021-toc 

https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/food-and-nutrition/274373 

https://youtu.be/Q29F4a61J7k?si=Ak1ysGVk7GbjfZ3C 

Gardens Galore! 

In this episode we answer the questions “How did Meijer Gardens begin?” and “What is the difference between moths and butterflies?” We also share a fact of the day from Ada Librarian Ally and Jill recommends a beginning chapter book about two funny friends. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!       

Ally’s Fact of the Day: Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts! by Mike Lowery 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C703808 

Jill’s book recommendation: Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C128693  

Concerning Meijer Gardens: 

https://www.meijergardens.org/thirty/  

https://www.meijergardens.org/thirty/#uael-video-gallery-0b5e916-1  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botanical_garden  

Concerning butterflies & moths: 

https://australianbutterflies.com/8-differences-between-butterflies-and-moths/  

https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths-matter-campaign/moth-facts  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_butterflies_and_moths  

https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/zoology/item/how-can-you-tell-the-difference-between-a-butterfly-and-a-moth/  

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/caterpillar-butterfly-metamorphosis-explainer/  

Butterflies & Moths by John Feltwell: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C580472  

What’s in chrysalis? https://youtu.be/uK_iZZ4Bx2o  

Breaking down differences video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWU7nefFkto  

Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “How do landfills work?” and “How many teeth do whales have?” We also have a fact about Pokémon and a great book recommendation you are sure to love! To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!   

Regarding landfills... 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/solid-waste-management/471032/related#nodeId=websites&page=1 

https://www.epa.gov/landfills/municipal-solid-waste-landfills 

https://recyclops.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-decompose/ 

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/landfill.htm 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfills_in_the_United_States#Statistics 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresno_Municipal_Sanitary_Landfill 

Regarding whales... 

https://www.nathab.com/blog/fascinating-wildlife-facts-five-humpback-whale-feeding-strategies 

"Humpback whale." World Book Kids, 2025, 

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar833434. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025. 

Humpback Whale by Dr. Asha De Vos https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C873521 

Clip of whales feeding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glxULceEEjA 

That Dog Has a Job! 

In this episode we answer the questions “Why are there rocks around train trachs?” and “What is the difference between service dogs and therapy dogs?” We also share a fact of the day from Kentwood Librarian Hatka and Jill recommends an exciting chapter book about kids stuck in an airport. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!       

Hatka’s fact of day: Sensational Sharks by Emma Flannery  

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1199269 

Jill’s book recommendation: Grounded by Aisha Saeed  

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C947179 

Concerning ballast: 

https://adortech.com/blog/everything-about-railway-ballast  

https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2024/11/whose-time-is-it-anyway-a-brief-history-of-standardized-time-zones-in-the-united-states/  

https://www.cargo-partner.com/es/trendletter/issue-49/why-do-railway-tracks-have-stones-underneath  

https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-maps-1828-to-1900/articles-and-essays/history-of-railroads-and-maps/the-beginnings-of-american-railroads-and-mapping/  

https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/blog/caboose-facts/  

https://www.train-museum.org/2023/03/19/why-are-there-rocks-under-the-tracks/  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transportation_in_the_United_States  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train_noise  

On Track by Tom Adams: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1161062  

Video on laying train tracks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET7W43NVggw&t=32s  

Concerning dogs with jobs: 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/How-Service-Animals-Help-Humans-Live-Fuller-Lives/648742  

https://pawswithacause.org/assistance-dogs-101/  

https://www.ada.gov/topics/service-animals/  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapy_dog