Through life’s twists and turns, every day can be a great day.

This is the sentiment dear friends Brenna Dubinsky and Amy Gutierrez are embodying through their new children’s book series, “It’s A Great Day…”

The pair is on a mission to spread kindness, joy, and “a big smile” to young readers through their children’s books. Their debut children’s book, “It’s A Great Day…To Be A Bus!” follows a cheerful, yellow school bus on the first day of school. When a new, unfamiliar friend joins the route, nerves and excitement fill the air, asking the inevitable question: “Will it still be a great day?” You’ll have to get the book to find out.

The idea for the book came about on a ride home from preschool when Dubinsky’s son, Cal, exclaimed, “Mommy! It’s a great day to be a bus!” He had been looking out his window, watching in awe as kids filed off a yellow school bus, running to give their parents hugs after school.

The next day, Dubinsky told Gutierrez about the interaction, and they both agreed it would make a wonderful children’s book. 

This is the running theme the two want to exemplify in their book series, “It’s A Great Day…,” exploring finding joy in the unexpected—proving that sometimes the best days aren’t the ones where everything goes perfectly, but the ones where we find a reason to smile anyway.

“We hope children will learn that while new experiences can be challenging, having confidence and a positive attitude can make every day a great day,” Dubinsky says. 

Their combined passion for writing is inspired by their love of reading with their own children, alongside watching their kids go off to school and experiencing “all types of adventures” that come with new friends, new emotions, sports, and everything else that comes with school-age happenings.

“My daughters have brought happiness, laughter, and countless wonderful stories into our home, helping me explore my love of becoming a children’s book author,” Gutierrez adds. 

The two have been best friends for 16 years, having first met in Anchorage, Alaska. Beyond their shared sense of humor, they quickly connected over a “joy for life” that they love incorporating into their books.

“Becoming children’s book authors together has been so much fun,” the pair says. “From stay-at-home moms to entrepreneurs, our journey was filled with obstacles, but we never lost sight of our goal. It was important for us to show our children that once you set your mind to something to never give up.”

Wanting a bright, cheerful cover that would be inviting to young readers, the friends browsed local bookstores and their own bookshelves for inspiration. Researching book size, colors and fonts and studying which types of books sold to choosing and working with an illustrator, each step required its own learning curve.

“We are incredibly proud of the final product we have created,” the authors say. “Our carefully chosen font is dyslexia-friendly, which we then mixed with a larger font, in a different color, to support reading with an adult. Another inspiration we pulled from several books was the idea of hiding a dragonfly on each page. The search to find the dragonfly adds another fun layer to our young readers’ journey.”

They had so much fun creating this initial product that they went on to launch their very own publishing imprint, McGoo Books, a name representative of their maiden names, to house their future books.

“We are excited to continue our journey this fall with our next book, “It’s a Great Day…To Be A Pumpkin!”,” the authors say. “This story takes young readers on a journey through the local patch, turning into a heartwarming lesson on patience, finding joy in the unexpected, and realizing that every day can be a great day.”

For any aspiring authors out there, Dubinsky and Gutierrez encourage fellow Muirfield residents to simply believe in themselves, stating that setbacks are part of the process, but that “pushing through those challenges” is exactly what led them to a finished product they’re proud of.

Both Dubinsky and Gutierrez reside in Dublin with their families.

“It’s A Great Day…To Be A Bus!” is available for purchase at several online book retailers including Amazon, Target, Strand Books, Parnassus Books, and more.