Lake Minnetonka Book Publishers Take Kids on a 'Magic Carpet Ride'

For parents looking to go beyond one page and get their kids thinking globally, a local children’s book publisher I See Me! just released the educational and adventurous My Very Own World Adventure storybook.

"My Very Own World Adventure" is personalized with the child’s name throughout the story. The child travels around the world on a magic carpet, and his or her first and last name are spelled out letter-by-letter according to the countries that he or she visits. Throughout the story, the child is welcomed by children from around the globe who give a special gift from their country.

"'My Very Own World Adventure' is the biggest project that our company has taken on to-date," I See Me! co-founders and Shorewood residents Maia and Allan Haag said. "Our designers spent over 5 years finding 63 illustrators from around the world to paint original paintings to be included in the storybook. 'My Very Own World Adventure' is truly an international book that not only teaches geography, but it also carries the message that your child is part of an international fabric of children.”

Sixty-three different illustrators from around the world have collaborated on this storybook, to create a very unique book that truly represents the world.

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Maia Haag is an entrepreneur and general manager who has gone from managing multi-million dollar businesses at General Mills, to writing and self-publishing children’s books that have sold over a million copies.

Haag’s career began when she graduated with an English degree from Princeton, and was recruited by the marketing department of General Mills. During her six years at General Mills, she served in classic brand management positions, and the company gave her a full scholarship to Harvard Business School—where she earned her MBA.

While on maternity leave with her son in 1998, Haag wrote a personalized children’s book called My Very Own Name. In this hardcover book, which is made especially for each child, animals bring letters one by one to create the first and last names of the child. At the end, they celebrate because they have created the perfect name. Her husband Allan Haag, a graphic designer, found the illustrator, who took over a year to hand paint the illustrations for the book. Haag resigned from General Mills to start a company called I See Me! Inc. to self-publish My Very Own Name --which soon became a hot selling personalized gift for newborns and young children.

Fast forward to today, and I See Me! Inc. generates over $5 million a year in revenues, with double-digit growth rates. Maia and Allan Haag continue to work together to write and design books, along with a team of employees who have helped bring their vision to life.

I See Me! sells 15 personalized book titles and other personalized gifts online at www.iseeme.com and also through national retailers including L.L. Bean, Nordstrom, Toys R Us and FAO Schwarz. I See Me!’s books have been featured multiple times on the TODAY show, the View, and Good Morning America. A-list celebrities including Brooke Shields and Courtney Cox Arquette have purchased I See Me!’s books and are big fans.

Haag was recognized as one of the “Top 25 Women to Watch” by the Twin Cities Business Journal, and she was named the “Emerging Business Woman of the Year” by the National Association of Women Business Owners. In addition, I See Me! Inc. has received the Silver Seal Winner in the publishing industry’s national Benjamin Franklin awards, in the category of “Innovative and Effective Marketing”. Haag was also named a finalist for the national  “Best Entrepreneur” Stevie Award granted in NYC. For multiple years, I See Me! Inc. has made the Business Journal’s Fast 50 List, representing the top 50 fastest growing privately-held companies in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. 

All of this has been accomplished while being a wife and mother to three children, ages 5, 8 and 14—and taking tap lessons! Maia is an inspiration to parents who would like to start a business while balancing family demands.

Maia says that her passion for the business is what makes it all possible.