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Where Is Washington?

Part of Who HQ: The 50 States

Author Tracy Vonder Brink, Who HQ
Read by Hugo Bresson
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On sale Jan 06, 2026 | 1 Hour and 0 Minutes | 9798217280711
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Dive into the history, culture, and heritage of the state of Washington with Who HQ! Learn about everything from the Pike Place Market to the exciting history of Mount St. Helens in this illustrated book for young readers.

From the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series comes a new collection of books all about the fifty states!

Are you aware that Washington produces more apples than any other state in the nation? Did you know the rovers that first explored the moon were built in Washington state? Or that the city of Seattle is named after Chief Si'ahl, a leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish Nations? This book explores Washington's rich history and culture, from the endangered Southern Resident orcas to the majesty of North Cascades National Park.
Where Is Washington?

The Puyallup (say: pew-AL-up) Nation calls one of Washington’s most famous mountains “Loowitlatkla” (say: LOO-wit-LAT-kla)—“Lady of Fire”—for good reason. It’s no ordinary mountain. It’s also a volcano. (A British explorer named it Mount St. Helens in 1792.) In 1980, it had been mostly quiet for more than one hundred years. That spring, Mount St. Helens rumbled with small earthquakes for weeks. The Lady of Fire was about to wake up.

On May 18, 1980, a 5.1-magnitude quake shook Mount St. Helens. Its northern side collapsed and caused the largest landslide ever recorded. As the side of the mountain fell away, it released gases that had built up inside. It was like opening a shaken-up can of soda. The blast flattened 230 miles of forest and shot out hot rocks, ash, and steam. The tower of ash rose 18 miles in the air. Mount St. Helens spewed 540 million tons of ash over 22,000 square miles.

The air temperature reached 660 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat melted snow and ice. Water mixed with the ash and created huge mudflows, called lahars. The lahars destroyed more than 185 miles of roads and over 200 homes.

The eruption lasted more than nine hours. By the time it was over, fifty-seven people had died. Most were campers and hikers who thought they were far enough away from the mountain to be safe. Mount St. Helens had been 9,677 feet high. After the eruption, it was down to 8,365 feet. More than 1,300 feet of Mount St. Helens had blown off. Mount St. Helens is the most active volcano in Washington, but it’s not the only one. Volcanoes have been erupting there for the past thirty-six million years!
Copyright © 2026 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Tracy Vonder Brink View titles by Tracy Vonder Brink
Who HQ is your headquarters for history. The Who HQ team is always working to provide simple and clear answers to some of our biggest questions. From Who Was George Washington? to Who Is Michelle Obama?, and What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? to Where Is the Great Barrier Reef?, we strive to give you all the facts. Visit us at WhoHQ.com View titles by Who HQ

About

Dive into the history, culture, and heritage of the state of Washington with Who HQ! Learn about everything from the Pike Place Market to the exciting history of Mount St. Helens in this illustrated book for young readers.

From the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series comes a new collection of books all about the fifty states!

Are you aware that Washington produces more apples than any other state in the nation? Did you know the rovers that first explored the moon were built in Washington state? Or that the city of Seattle is named after Chief Si'ahl, a leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish Nations? This book explores Washington's rich history and culture, from the endangered Southern Resident orcas to the majesty of North Cascades National Park.

Excerpt

Where Is Washington?

The Puyallup (say: pew-AL-up) Nation calls one of Washington’s most famous mountains “Loowitlatkla” (say: LOO-wit-LAT-kla)—“Lady of Fire”—for good reason. It’s no ordinary mountain. It’s also a volcano. (A British explorer named it Mount St. Helens in 1792.) In 1980, it had been mostly quiet for more than one hundred years. That spring, Mount St. Helens rumbled with small earthquakes for weeks. The Lady of Fire was about to wake up.

On May 18, 1980, a 5.1-magnitude quake shook Mount St. Helens. Its northern side collapsed and caused the largest landslide ever recorded. As the side of the mountain fell away, it released gases that had built up inside. It was like opening a shaken-up can of soda. The blast flattened 230 miles of forest and shot out hot rocks, ash, and steam. The tower of ash rose 18 miles in the air. Mount St. Helens spewed 540 million tons of ash over 22,000 square miles.

The air temperature reached 660 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat melted snow and ice. Water mixed with the ash and created huge mudflows, called lahars. The lahars destroyed more than 185 miles of roads and over 200 homes.

The eruption lasted more than nine hours. By the time it was over, fifty-seven people had died. Most were campers and hikers who thought they were far enough away from the mountain to be safe. Mount St. Helens had been 9,677 feet high. After the eruption, it was down to 8,365 feet. More than 1,300 feet of Mount St. Helens had blown off. Mount St. Helens is the most active volcano in Washington, but it’s not the only one. Volcanoes have been erupting there for the past thirty-six million years!
Copyright © 2026 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Author

Tracy Vonder Brink View titles by Tracy Vonder Brink
Who HQ is your headquarters for history. The Who HQ team is always working to provide simple and clear answers to some of our biggest questions. From Who Was George Washington? to Who Is Michelle Obama?, and What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? to Where Is the Great Barrier Reef?, we strive to give you all the facts. Visit us at WhoHQ.com View titles by Who HQ

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