Our Story

Originally incorporated in 1983 as The Children's Literature Foundation, our organization had a mission to offer professional development to Boston public school educators and librarians. In 1987 our name changed to the Foundation for Children's Books and continued its work as such until 2014 when both the mission and the name of the organization was changed once again.

As Wondermore we now focus our work on connecting Boston-area students to authors and illustrators who reflect our diverse and vibrant communities. Wondermore has sustained itself since its inception through the generosity of individual donors and grantors and, until 2013, through well-attended fee-based professional development events.

Wondermore counts among its early supporters such award-winning authors and illustrators of children’s literature as Gregory Maguire (author of Wicked, now an award-winning Broadway musical), Ashley Bryan (multiple Coretta Scott King awards as well dozens of other awards and honors), Grace Lin (NY Times bestselling author/illustrator of picture books, early readers and middle grade novels), and Nelson (Caldecott award winner for Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story of the Underground Railroad). Wondermore has long-standing partnerships with Lesley University, several Boston-area children’s book publishers and other literacy-based non-profits such as the Boston Book Festival, 826 Boston, the Vermont College of Fine Arts Young Writers Network, and Writers and Artists Across the Country.