Stump the Librarian

Episode 69 The Booger Episode

The Booger Episode  

In this episode we answer the questions “How do trees talk to each other?” and “Why are boogers green?” We also share a fact of the day from a Patron Services librarian and share a graphic novel about a student struggling with math. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!    

  

Joel’s Fact of the Day: The Animal Toolkit by Steve Jenkins  

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1179760 

 

Liz’s book recommendation: Very Bad at Math by Hope Larson  

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1179760 

 

Concerning talking trees:  

https://greenpop.org/how-do-trees-communicate/  

https://www.nationalforests.org/blog/underground-mycorrhizal-network  

https://nhm.org/stories/take-moment-listen-trees  

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/05/04/993430007/trees-talk-to-each-other-mother-tree-ecologist-hears-lessons-for-people-too  

Wood Wide Web: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWOqeyPIVRo  

The Magic of Forests by Vicky Woodgate: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C966816  

 

Concerning boogers: 

https://kidshealth.org/Advocate/en/kids/booger.html#:~:text=Yeah%2C%20we're%20talking%20about,name%20for%20nose%20mucus%3A%20snot.  

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2020/08/marvels-mucus-phlegm  

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/mucus  

"mucus." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 17 Sep. 2010. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/mucus/54123. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.  

"mucous membrane." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 6 Feb. 2020. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/mucous-membrane/54122. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.  

 

 

Episode 68 Narwhals the Unicorn of the Sea

Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “Why do we get goosebumps?” and “Are narwhals the unicorn of the sea?” We also have a fact about bones and a 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 Goosebumps.... 

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-you-get-goosebumps 

"skin." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 6 Jun. 2019. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/skin/277082#main-ada. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025. 

https://youtu.be/KD78ZlViWt4?si=3WTY5OSQkL0n59K4 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-humans-get-goosebu/ 

https://online.kidsdiscover.com/quickread/what-causes-goose-bumps 

Regarding Narwhals... 

 www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar835226. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025. 

https://resources.arctickingdom.com/narwhal-tusk-facts-did-you-know 

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/narwhal-guide 

https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/narwhal-echolocation-abilities.htm 

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2018/november/the-siberian-unicorn-lived-at-the-same-time-as-modern-humans.html 

https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2019/03/08/exactly-narwhal-tusk/ 

https://whalescientists.com/narwhals-tusk/ 

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

https://www.worldwildlife.org/videos/how-narwhals-use-their-tusks 

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic by Candice Fleming & Deena So’Oteh: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1031094 

Episode 67 Big Bad Bird

In this episode we answer the questions “Is seaweed a plant?” and “What is the most dangerous bird?” We also share an elephant fact of the day from a Plainfield Twp. librarian and recommend a fascinating nonfiction book about parasites! To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!   

  

Lynn’s Fact of the Day: Fish Farts and Other Amazing Ways Animals Adapt by Joanne Settel 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1128924 

Liz’s book recommendation: Power to the Parasites! by Chelsea L. Wood. 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1151686 

Concerning seaweed: 

https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/freshwater-algae/  

https://www.kvaroyarctic.com/22-seaweed-facts-to-know-in-2022  

https://lofotenseaweed.no/seaweed-vs-kelp-whats-the-difference/  

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-edible-seaweed  

https://nature.ca/en/seaweed-and-algae-what-are-the-differences/  

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/15/1163385168/sargassum-seaweed-florida-mexico-beaches  

https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex2104/features/sargasso-sea/welcome.html  

https://www.sargassoseacommission.org/sargasso-sea  

https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/plants-algae/seagrass-and-seagrass-beds  

Sea Otter Heroes by Patricia Newman  

 

Concerning dangerous birds: 

   

https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/zoology/item/worlds-most-dangerous-bird/#:~:text=Answer,%2DMonnett%20on%20Unsplash.com.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassowary#:~:text=The%20cassowary%20has%20often%20been,per%20year%20in%20South%20Africa.  

https://www.statista.com/statistics/448169/deadliest-creatures-in-the-world-by-number-of-human-deaths/  

https://www.britannica.com/list/6-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-birds  

"Cassowary." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 16 Apr. 2019. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/cassowary/20674. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.  

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/cassowary/  

https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/tetrapod-zoology/how-dangerous-are-cassowaries-really/  

Episode 66 Tall Mountains, Real Reindeer

Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “What’s the tallest mountain in the world?” and “Are reindeer real?” We also have a fact about a very fast shark and an adventure/fantasty 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!   

Fact of the day book: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1124561 

Book recommendation:https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C868466 

Regarding Mountains: 

"Mount Everest." World Book Kids, 2025, 

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar831592. Accessed 08 Jan. 2025. 

https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Everest- LOTS OF INFO 

https://www.mos.org/blog/the-earth-around-us/Why-Hawaii#:~:text=By%20rising%20to%2013%2C800%20feet,Mount%20Everest%20by%20a%20mile! 

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/sir-edmund-hillary-tenzing-norgay-1953 

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/highestpoint.html#:~:text=Mount%20Everest's%20peak%20is%20the,center%20than%20Mount%20Everest's%20summit. 

Summiting Everest by Emma Carlson Berne 

Regarding Reindeer: 

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/reinderrvscaribou.htm 

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=santasreindeer.main#:~:text=All%20caribou%20and%20reindeer%20throughout,reindeer%20(R.t.%20fennicus)%2C%20Greenland 

https://www.rooftopreindeer.com/ 

"Reindeer." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2023. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/reindeer/63099. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025. 

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/caribou#caribou-standing-grass.jpg 

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/reindeer-facts/ 

https://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/tundra.html 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29470/11-things-you-might-not-know-about-reindeer 

 

Episode 65 Magnificent Memory

In this episode we answer the questions “How is paper recycled?” and “How do we know elephants never forget?” We also share a fact of the day from an East Grand Rapids librarian and share a funny science fiction book about a boy from outer space! To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!   

 

Monica’s Fact of the Day: Incredible Animal Trivia by Eric Braun 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C588948 

Liz’s book recommendation: Weird Kid by Greg Van Eekhout 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C820597 

Concerning paper recycling: 

Pirzada, Abdul Majeed, et al. “Waste Paper Management of Academic Institute: An Environmental and Economics Perspective of Paper Recycling.” FUUAST Journal of Biology, vol. 13, no. 2, Dec. 2023, pp. 123–30. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=1ad0536a-a843-3be0-8647-13ceb5974ca5.  

https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/paper/web/html/papermaking.html#:~:text=Recycled%20paper%20processing%20mills%20use,paper%20sheets%20from%20each%20other.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cI8fT-9Koo&t=36s  

https://papergatorrecycling.com/  

https://michiganrecycles.org/  

https://www.afandpa.org/  

 

Concerning elephants: 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elephants-never-forget/  

"Elephant." World Book Kids, 2025,  

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar830685. Accessed 02 Jan. 2025.  

  

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9951961/#:~:text=Even%20though%20there%20is%20evidence,term%20olfactory%20memory%20in%20mammals.  

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

https://wildlifesos.org/chronological-news/the-remarkable-cognitive-abilities-of-elephants/  

How elephants listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYM9oXftLIQ  

Beyond Words: What Elephants and Whales Think and Feel by Carl Safina  

 

Episode 64 The Vertebrate of the Year

Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “Why are school buses yellow?” and “What is up with the naked mole rat?” We also have a fact about the richest person in history and a 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 School Buses... 

https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/why-are-school-buses-yellow-a-teachers-college-professor-said-so/?_r=0 

https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety 

https://research.ebsco.com/c/5h4gt5/viewer/pdf/n6fxxky7cv 

"Bus." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2011. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/bus/110736. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/history-school-bus-180980554/ 

https://thenewswheel.com/history-of-the-school-bus/ 

https://schoolbusfacts.com/About 

https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/357533/ 

Regarding Naked Mole Rats... 

"naked mole rat." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/naked-mole-rat/312630. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024. 

https://www.cmzoo.org/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mole-rat 

https://www.joelsartore.com/search/naked%20mole%20rat/ 

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/naked-mole-rat-cam 

Episode 63 Venomous Dragons!

In this episode we answer the questions, “What is the one bone in the body that floats?” and “What is the Blue Glaucus and what does it eat?” We learn a fact of the day live from a Wyoming librarian and share a funny chapter book about a kid finding a heap of money. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!    

Jackie’s Fact of the Day: Amazing Facts- Olympics & Paralympics by Caroline Rowlands 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1128942 

Liz’s Book Recommendation: Birdie’s Billions by Edith Cohn 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C847068 

Concerning floating bones: 

https://www.britannica.com/science/neck-anatomy  

"human origins." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 17 Jun. 2021. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/human-origins/274982#332652-toc. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.  

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/hyoid-bone  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525790/  

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/sesamoid-bone  

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

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

 

Concerning Blue Glaucus: 

https://research.ebsco.com/c/t27gom/viewer/pdf/rdifodpjh5  

https://tapro.sljol.info/articles/4386/files/submission/proof/4386-1-15623-1-10-20120603.pdf  

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

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/inside-nature-featured-creature-blue-dragon/  

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/nudibranchs-psychedelic-thieves-of-the-sea.html  

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2022/september/hms-challenger-how-150-year-old-expedition-still-influences-scientific-discoveries-today.html  

https://opistobranquis.info/en/guia/nudibranchia/cladobranchia/aeolidioidea/glaucus-atlanticus/#:~:text=Glaucus%20atlanticus%20Forster%2C%201777&text=Taxonomic%20source%3A%20World%20Register%20of,British%20naturalist%20Johann%20Reinhold%20Forster.  

Episode 62 That Doesn't Sound Like Me!

Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “Why do we yawn?” and “why does my voice sound different on a recording?” We also have a fact about a sailing stones and a cozy mystery recommendation you are sure to love! To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!   

Fact of the Day book: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1124561 

Liz Recomends: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1026388 

Regarding yawning... 

https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2017.00052 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/yawning 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3534187/#abstract1 

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-faqs/why-do-you-yawn  

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/what-to-know-about-yawning 

Animals yawning montage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oBimtQ1yY4 

Regarding hearing... 

https://youtu.be/uvosNz0Xq7g?si=rg49h7wtA4K1GCql 

https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/human-ear/109529 

https://www.livescience.com/52287-ear-anatomy.html 

https://research.ebsco.com/c/5h4gt5/viewer/pdf/rgfnj35edn 

Beeghly, Kelsey. “Link to the Library of Congress Etching the Human Voice: Exploring the History of Sound Recording Technology.” Music Educators Journal, vol. 110, no. 3, Mar. 2024, pp. 13–15. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1177/00274321241237728. 

https://www.loc.gov/item/89714876/ 

https://time.com/5084599/first-recorded-sound/ 

 

 

Episode 61 You Have Arrived

In this episode we answer the questions, “How does GPS work?” and “Why do I have to brush my teeth?” We learn a fact of the day from a Byron Township librarian and share a fantasy chapter book that would be perfect for fans of magic & animals. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!   

Natalie’s Fact of the Day: Do Your Best: How to Be a Scout by Bear Grylls 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1124549 

Jill’s Book Recommendation: The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein 

https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C128389 

 

Concerning teeth: 

https://research.ebsco.com/c/qctlkj/viewer/html/ve23g2rbjj 

"Teeth." World Book Kids, 2024, 

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar831454. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024. 

"tooth." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Sep. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/tooth/72898#main-ada. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024. 

"tooth decay." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/tooth-decay/313860#main-ada. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024. 

https://www.ada.org/resources/ada-library/dental-history 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24655-teeth 

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/05/mouth-microbes#:~:text=Do%20you%20know%20what's%20in,microbes. 

Concerning GPS: 

https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/travel/gps.htm 

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/techops/navservices/gnss/gps/howitworks 

https://www.formulaboats.com/blog/history-of-navigation-at-sea-from-stars-to-the-modern-day-gps/ 

https://www.geotab.com/blog/what-is-gps/ 

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/somd/space-communications-navigation-program/gps/ 

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/gps/en/ 

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

Episode 60 Stomach Grumbles

Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “How do we know what stars are made of?” and “Why does my stomach growl when I’m hungry?” We also have a fact about a megaldon shark and a 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!   

Hannah’s Fact of the Day: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C1018270 

Liz’s Book Recommendation: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C947178 

Regarding stars... 

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/research/science-field/stellar-astronomy 

https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/cecilia-payne-gaposchkin-the-first-to-describe-what-stars-are-made-of 

https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/ 

https://science.nasa.gov/universe/exoplanets/symphony-of-stars-the-science-of-stellar-sound-waves/ 

"Star." World Book Kids, 2024, 

   www.worldbookonline.com/kids/article?id=ar831371. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024. 

 

The Fire of Stars by Kirsten W. Larson 

Regarding Stomachs... 

https://research.ebsco.com/c/sbdrh4/viewer/html/7uqk6tomrj 

https://research.ebsco.com/c/sbdrh4/viewer/html/23uhqty5gf 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqwTeM9h-Rc 

school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/digestive-system/353054