Memoria Press Copybooks

This review covers Memoria Press's Copybooks I-III, labeled Grades K-2, and Copybook Cursive I-IV, labeled Grades 1-6. The publisher says its primary copybooks teach penmanship, basic grammar, spelling, literature, accuracy, attention to detail, and memory through the simple skill of copying.

Last updated: 2026-10-08 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Classical and subject-specialist (Every Homeschool classification); the publisher describes copybook as a time-honored learning activity in which students copy Scripture, maxims, poetry, and other literature
Worldview	Christian; the books use Scripture from the King James Bible, and the publisher's FAQ says its entire curriculum is Christian. Every Homeschool classifies it as Christian · Ecumenical, a term the publisher does not use to describe its curriculum, and it states no denominational affiliation on the pages we read
Grades	Copybooks I-III Set: Grades K-2; Copybook Cursive I-IV: Grades 1-6
Formats	Print copybooks (saddle-stitched or spiral-bound); lesson plans are sold separately in print or digital form
Cost tier	Budget (Every Homeschool classification); each copybook is $16.80 on its own page and the Copybooks I-III Set is $45.36, retrieved October 2026
Parent intensity	3 (Every Homeschool rating)
ESA-common	Not verified
Accredited	Not applicable: a curriculum product, not a school
Established	Not stated for the program; the Copybook I page shows a 2005 copyright date
Website	memoriapress.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	In our assessment, copying practice with Scripture and poems; the Copybook I sample lists optional, reproducible stroke and letter practice pages before its first passage
Ease of teaching	4	The publisher describes a progression from tracing to copying under modeled words to copying from the left page to the right; lesson plans are sold separately
Content quality	5	The publisher says the passages are King James Scripture and classic children's poems, such as those by Robert Louis Stevenson; in our assessment, a good fit for copywork
Flexibility	4	Sold individually and as a set; the publisher says Copybook Cursive III and IV carry the memory passages from its Christian Studies II and III courses
Value for money	5	In our assessment, a low annual cost: each copybook is $16.80, retrieved October 2026
Worldview scope	3	The publisher selects King James Scripture for the primary copybooks and its FAQ describes its whole curriculum as Christian
Visual/design	3	In our assessment, plain by design: the publisher describes clean, facing pages with space for the child to draw and says you will not find meaningless color illustrations strewn throughout the pages
Support resources	3	Lesson plans are sold separately at $6.00 in print or $5.00 digital for Copybook I, and the product pages for Copybook I and II and Copybook Cursive I to IV link sample pages

Who the publisher is

Memoria Press's About page describes it as a family-run publishing company that produces classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. The page says the company has developed a K-12 classical curriculum at Highlands Latin School in Louisville, Kentucky, where it says its programs are written and field-tested, and it lists Highlands Latin School among the institutions it calls the Memoria Press Family.

The product pages name the authors of the copybooks. The Copybook I page lists Cheryl Lowe and Leigh Lowe, and the Copybook Cursive I page lists Leigh Lowe. The Copybook Cursive II, Second Edition page lists Brenda Janke, and the pages for Copybook Cursive III and Copybook Cursive IV list HLS Faculty.

The publisher's FAQ says the entire Memoria Press curriculum is Christian, with explicit references to the faith and Scripture in some materials and implicit ones in others, and says the publisher has released a separate line of products for educators in public settings.

The core pedagogy

The publisher's Copybooks I-III page says the primary copybooks teach penmanship, basic grammar, spelling, literature, accuracy, attention to detail, and memory through the skill of copying. It says the Scripture is chosen from the King James Bible for its poetic verse, alongside classic children's poems such as those by Robert Louis Stevenson, and that the clean, facing pages provide space for the child to draw and color. It describes the set as three books for beginning writers in K-2nd grade, each with more than thirty-five passages. Each book starts with slightly larger margins that decrease gradually over the three-year series. The page says students begin by tracing, then copy directly under modeled words, and eventually copy passages from the left page onto lines on the right page. The same page says you will not find meaningless color illustrations strewn throughout the pages and that it provides space for students to draw their own pictures.

The cursive books, as the Copybook Cursive I-IV page and the individual product pages describe them:

• Copybook Cursive I: Scripture & Poems is the original Copybook III formatted in the New American Cursive font, and the publisher says its second graders complete it alongside New American Cursive 2.
• Copybook Cursive II, Second Edition appears in the Fourth Grade set list, and its product page says it includes the Scripture passages from Christian Studies I, the 15 brightest stars from Astronomy, the major Greek gods from Greek Myths, and more.
• Copybook Cursive III: Scripture includes the memory passages from Christian Studies II and is college-ruled for older students.
• Copybook Cursive IV is college-ruled and carries the Scripture passages from Christian Studies III.

The publisher's grade pages place the copybooks as follows: the Kindergarten set includes Copybook I, the First Grade set includes Copybook II, the Second Grade set includes Copybook Cursive I, and the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade sets include Copybook Cursive II, III, and IV.

Letter formation is described on a different product. The publisher says its New American Cursive program, labeled Grades 1-5 and developed by Iris Hatfield, has clear arrow directions for letter creation and shaded letters to trace. The Copybooks I-III set page does not mention stroke formation; the table of contents of the Copybook I sample lists "Practice Strokes & Letters (Optional & Reproducible)" and the Copybook II sample lists "Line and Letter Practice" and the same practice section. A separate Latin Cursive Copybook, labeled Grades 4-6, combines handwriting practice with memory work in classroom Latin, Latin sayings, prayers, and hymns from the publisher's Latin programs, and its page says it starts with an introduction to forming letters.

A day in the life

The product pages and sample pages we read do not state a daily time, a number of lines per session, or a total pace, so none is given here; the Copybook I sample's table of contents lists a Recommended Schedule that the sample does not include. The publisher's pages describe these elements:

• Students begin by tracing, then copy directly under modeled words, and eventually copy from the left page onto lines on the right page.
• The publisher describes each of the three books in the Copybooks I-III Set as having more than thirty-five passages, and says margins start slightly larger and decrease gradually over the three-year series.
• The publisher says the clean, facing pages provide space for students to draw their own pictures to help them remember and visualize the passages.
• The Copybook I Lesson Plans are sold separately in print, and a digital version is sold separately as well. Neither product page describes what the plans contain.

What they do exceptionally well

Passages chosen from Scripture and poetry. The publisher describes the copybook content as King James Scripture and classic children's poems. In our assessment, that gives the child text worth reading and memorizing, which suits a copywork program better than context-free practice lines.

A stated progression. The publisher describes tracing first, then copying under modeled words, then copying across the spread, and says margins narrow over the three books. In our assessment, that gives a parent a clear sequence from one book to the next.

A low annual cost. Each copybook is $16.80 on its own page, retrieved October 2026, and the publisher describes the Copybooks I-III Set as a three-year series. In our assessment, that is a low annual cost for a handwriting book.

What they do poorly

Letter formation is a small part of the Copybooks I-III descriptions. The set page describes tracing and copying and does not mention stroke order or direction, and the copybook product pages we read do not make the claim of arrow directions that the publisher makes for New American Cursive, a separate program. In our assessment, a family with a new writer who needs explicit formation instruction should check the sample pages the publisher posts for each book.

King James text throughout. The publisher selects Scripture from the King James Bible for the primary copybooks. In our assessment, families who prefer a different translation will need to supply their own copywork passages, because the pages we read do not describe an alternate edition.

Several cursive books are tied to Memoria Press courses. The publisher says Copybook Cursive II, III, and IV carry passages from its Christian Studies I, II, and III courses. In our assessment, families outside those courses will find the content less matched to their other subjects.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Memoria Press Copybooks if: you want copywork from King James Scripture and classic children's poems; you want a tracing-to-copying progression for K-2 and a cursive series for grades 1-6; you are comfortable with a publisher that describes its whole curriculum as Christian; you already use Memoria Press courses that the later cursive books match.

• Skip Memoria Press Copybooks if: you want a handwriting program built around a modern Bible translation or no Scripture at all; you want a program with explicit stroke-by-stroke formation as its main feature; you want digital handwriting practice instead of paper books.

Cost honest assessment

All prices below are the publisher's, retrieved October 2026.

• The Copybooks I-III Set is $45.36. The set page shows each of the three books at $15.12, and the individual pages for Copybook I and Copybook II show $16.80.
• Copybook Cursive I through IV are $16.80 each.
• The Latin Cursive Copybook is $16.80.
• New American Cursive is a separate program: the student books are $25.75, the teaching charts are $17.90, and the StartWrite software, a Windows-only download, is $29.95.
• The Simply Classical Copybook Series, a different line that the publisher lists under special needs for ages 5 to 8 by chronological age or skill level, is $10.30 each.
• Lesson plans for Copybook I are $6.00 in print, and the digital version is $5.00.

Set pages can show discounts that change, so the price on the page you order from is the one that applies.

ESA eligibility notes

Whether any state ESA marketplace lists Memoria Press or its copybooks was not confirmed for this review. The publisher's pages that we read do not state which ESA programs accept its products. Families should confirm with their program administrator that the specific items they plan to buy are eligible and whether the program applies restrictions to religious curriculum.

Alternatives

In our assessment, a family that wants a handwriting program from a different publisher could compare these with the copybooks. Each publisher's own site is the place to check its scope and prices.

• Handwriting Without Tears
• A Reason for Handwriting
• Zaner-Bloser