My husband, Mark, used to tell our children bedtime stories. This was their time alone with daddy and my time to relax. I don't know exactly when it happened; but, one day I heard the kids talking about "Old Red." Mark had started making up his own stories. He had imagined a wretched bird named "Old Red" who constantly caused trouble for the children. When our kids became too old for bedtime stories and were nearing the age of taking the ACT or SAT, Mark decided to write a book about Old Red. He felt that it would be beneficial to the reader (hopefully our children) to include words that might appear on scholastic achievement tests, their meanings, and historical facts that people might like to know. Tragically, my husband passed away before "Old Red: The Beginning" was published, so this book is in honor of him.