Where to start?

First off let me start off by saying I have never written or published a book before.

For the past few months I have had a idea keep popping up in my head and I think there is a reason this idea has not dissipated. I'm supposed to publish a children's book. Me, just Mary is supposed to publish a children’s book.

The main problem is that I have NO idea where/how to start when it comes to publishing.

I have the text in my head and an illustrator considering the project, but now what?

My best friend growing up has a genetic disease. Her father and daughter also have the disease. It affects each person differently. When we were little girls we would often talk about writing books.

A couple months ago I began to think about how her daughter (and other children) is going to process that she has this disease and how she might educate her friends and her little brothers.

I have the idea to write a children's book based on my friend's experiences.

The book would be geared toward young children. 30 pages at most, short text (no more than 3 simple sentences per page) and simple yet colorful illustrations.

I imagine the book would be available for purchase at children’s hospitals and info about how to purchase it would be available at doctors’ offices, on the disease organizations websites, amazon, etc.

I have no experience in publishing, but I'm looking into the process.

Any thoughts on how to get started publishing would be greatly appreciated, especially publishing in the central Arkansas area.

 THANKS!