Welcome to Kent District Library’s Stump the Librarian Podcast where your friendly neighborhood librarians put their research skills to the test answering questions from you, the listener! Jill and Liz every other Wednesday to learn new and exciting information. Think you have a question that can stump us? Visit www.kdl.org/stump to submit a question of your own!
Episodes
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Episode 41 The Need for Speed
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions "What is the fastest mammal?" and "What percentage of bodily loss does a starfish need to die?"
To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Concerning speedy mammals:
https://www.awf.org/blog/cheetahs-worlds-fastest-land-animal#:~:text=Cheetahs%20are%20the%20world's%20fastest,of%20up%20to%2070%20mph.
https://petkeen.com/cheetah-support-dogs/
https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/fastest-animal-in-world.htm
Cheetahs by Jaclyn Jaycox: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C910039
Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa’s Fastest Cats by Sy Montgomery: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C229380
Concerning Sea Stars:
https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/sea-star/69454
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/starfish/#single-animal-text
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/starfish.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Episode 40 We’re Feeling Sleepy
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions, “How are cotton candy grapes made?” and “Why do we need sleep?” We also share a fun fact of the day about bones and a dragon book recommendation. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Regarding Cotton Candy Grapes:
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/topics/plant-breeding
"Plant breeding." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 22 May. 2023. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/plant-breeding/111030. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
GMOs are Nothing New: Plant Breeding & Gene Editing: Crash Course Botany #11
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/topics/plant-breeding
Regarding Sleep:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230901-
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/children-and-sleep
https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/childs-need-sleep
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519507/
How to Sleep Tight Through the Night: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C877169
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Episode 39 The Platypus’ Spur of Doom
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions, “Is there water in a water tower?” and “What is up with the duck-billed platypus?” We also share a fun fact of the day about guinea pigs and a super quirky chapter book recommendation. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Jill’s Fact of the Day: Pets and Their People
https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C932705
Liz’s book recommendation: The Horrible Bag of Terrible Things
https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C958203
Concerning water towers:
https://people.howstuffworks.com/water.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_tower
https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Government/Departments/Water-System
https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/these-13-water-towers-prove-that-america-is-downright-silly
Concerning the platypus:
"Platypus." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Oct. 2020. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/platypus/60371. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
The Story of the Platypus
2019
CapstoneEnglish32 Print Pages
Ebook
by Anita Ganeri
Part of the Fabulous Animals series
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Episode 38 A Flamboyance of Flamingos
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
A Flamboyance of Flamingos
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions, “Why is cheese different colors?” and “Why do flamingos only eat upside down?” We also share a fun fact of the day about the Atlantic Ocean and a wild fantasy book recommendation. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Regarding Cheese:
https://www.scienceworld.ca/stories/why-cheddar-orange/
https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-history-of-cheese-1328765
"Cheese." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Jun. 2023. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/cheese/603930. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.
Regarding Flamingos:
https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C252479
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamingo#Feeding
Great underwater camera video: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/flamingos-filter-feeders-underwater-upside-down-video-san-diego-zoo
Sponges, another filter feeder in action: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/ocean-sponges-have-incredible-filtering-power-a-demo-with-dye
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Episode 37 Exploding Ants
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions, “How are ants so strong?” and “To which family of animals is the red panda most closely related?” We also share a fun fact of the day about toe-wrestling and a super cool nonfiction book recommendation. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Jill’s Fact of the Day: The Mind-Blowing World of Extraordinary Competitions https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C938924
Liz’s book recommendation: How Old is a Whale? https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C932565
Concerning ants:
https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home#article/ar830069
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant
How Do Ants Survive a Flood? https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C900799
How Strong is an Ant? https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C520672
Ants https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C676320
Ants Ingenious Survival Method During Flood | Superswarm | BBC Earth
Concerning red pandas:
"Biological classification." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Jun. 2023. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/biological-classification/599565. Accessed 19 Sep. 2023.
"Red panda." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 Jan. 2019. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/red-panda/631664. Accessed 19 Sep. 2023.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotypic_taxon
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/red-panda
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Stump the Librarian Season 4
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Welcome to Stump the Librarian a podcast where two librarians answer questions from YOU the listener! Submit your question at KDL.org/stump and follow this podcast to get all the season 4 episodes straight to your listening device.
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Episode 36 Old Stuff and Expensive Stuff
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “How old was the oldest person to live?” and “What is the most expensive book ever sold?” We also give an ocean fact of the day and recommend the book Lupe Wong Won’t Dance. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/stump or email us at Stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org
Concerning Old Age:
https://grg.org/WSRL/TableE.aspx
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/questions/what-oldest-living-thing-earth
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/oldest-living-animals-on-earth-today/
Concerning Expensive Books:
https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/inflation/275058
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_books_and_manuscripts
https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Leonardo-da-Vinci/108470#59097.toc
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/leon/hd_leon.htm
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Episode 35 Don’t Eat Fireflies
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions, “Do fish get thirsty?” and “How do lightning bugs light up?” We also share a fun fact of the day about the Philippines and a #1 nonfiction book recommendation. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Jill’s Fact of the Day: Philippines https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C940866
Liz’s Book Recommendation: Is It Okay to Pee in the Ocean? https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C936618
Concerning fish:
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2019/neuroscience-thirst-brain-tells-look-water/
https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/fish/111049
Concerning fireflies:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-and-why-do-fireflies/
https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home?subacct=18279#article/ar830840
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/michigan-insects-in-the-garden-week-7-fireflies
https://www.massaudubon.org/get-involved/community-science/firefly-watch
https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/talk-like-a-firefly/
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Episode 34 Poop Cubes
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Join Liz and Jill as they answer the questions “What dogs are hypoallergenic?” and “Why do wombats poop cubes?” We also recommend the book “Willodeen” by Katherine Applegate and talk about memorable birthdays. To submit your own question go to KDL.org/stump or email us at Stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Episode 33 Crashin’ Caps
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Join Liz and Jill as they answer the questions “Why are the tops of some waves white?” and “What is the busiest airport in the world?” We also recommend the book “Willowdeen” and share a fact of the day about a bee bus stop. To submit your own question go to KDL.org/stump or email us at Stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org
Regarding waves:
What Are Waves? | Science at the Beach! | SciShow Kids
https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/wave/276157
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_wave
Regarding Airports:
https://www.oldest.org/structures/oldest-airports-in-us/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_International_Airport
https://usabynumbers.com/smallest-airports-in-the-us/
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/10/world-busiest-airports-airports-council-international-ranking.html
https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-11-24/the-best-and-worst-airports-in-america-readers-choice-awards-2014