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Percy the Park Keeper
The Secret Path
Percy the Park Keeper is in for a surprise in this funny story from highly-regarded, bestselling author-illustrator Nick Butterworth. Includes a fabulous fold-out maze.
It’s a beautiful spring morning and a perfect opportunity for Percy to trim the overgrown maze. The animals decide to have some fun hiding on the stone lion in the middle of the maze, to surprise Percy. But the suprise is on them when they fall asleep and Percy, finding them, hides behind the statue and pretends his voice is the lion’s telling them to wake up.
Percy has unravelled some string through the maze to help him find the way out but the squirrel, thinking he is helping, has wound the string into a ball. Help Percy and his friends find the way out of the park, guiding them through the fold-out maze at the back of the book.
It’s a beautiful spring morning and a perfect opportunity for Percy to trim the overgrown maze. The animals decide to have some fun hiding on the stone lion in the middle of the maze, to surprise Percy. But the suprise is on them when they fall asleep and Percy, finding them, hides behind the statue and pretends his voice is the lion’s telling them to wake up.
Percy has unravelled some string through the maze to help him find the way out but the squirrel, thinking he is helping, has wound the string into a ball. Help Percy and his friends find the way out of the park, guiding them through the fold-out maze at the back of the book.
32 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 1995
About the author
Nick Butterworth
368 books36 followersNick Butterworth was born in London and grew up in a sweet shop in Essex. He worked for various major graphic design companies before becoming a full-time author and illustrator. Among his picture books are Thud!, QPootle5, Jingle Bells, Albert le Blanc, Tiger and The Whisperer, winner of the Nestlé Gold Award. But he is best known for his stories about Percy the Park Keeper, which have sold more than 9 million copies worldwide. Percy has also appeared in his own television series.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 15, 2011
I really enjoyed this story. It is about a park worker, Percy, who is tidying up the park maze with his helper the squirrel. The other animals in the park decide to sneak into the maze and surprise Percy. However, they end up falling asleep while waiting on Percy so he plays a trick on them again. While working in the maze, Percy was using string so he could find his way out. At the end of the story we discover that they are in the middle of the maze and the squirrel has wound up the string by mistake. The last part of the book is a puzzle for the children to solve. They have to work out the path for Percy and the animals to get out of the park. This book is suitable for Year 1 -2, ,and I think the puzzle at the end is an excellent activity that will help children remember the book.
August 3, 2016
* I notice that my original review has been deleted. It contained nothing controversial, it was pure praise of the book where I mentioned how fascinated my kid had been with the fold out maze at the end. Can't otherwise reinstate the review, as I don't have a copy of it nor the book ...
September 1, 2019
I have had hours of fun with my reception children turning our garden into Percy's hut, woods, maze...This is another story in the delightful 'Percy' series, this time the endearing characters try to surprise Percy as he reaches the centre of the maze. However, things don't quite work out as they plan! Lovely reason to toast teacakes!
November 7, 2020
A lovely book to share with children at storytime. Could be on a day where the children can have a teacake to feel even more immersed in the book.
April 18, 2018
Percy is a nice person,he helps animals,he’s great at making mazes.
September 22, 2024
A simple sweet story about Percy the park keeper trimming the hedge maze. The animals overhear his plans and decide to surprise him by waiting for him at the centre, but it takes him so long to get there that they've fallen asleep by that time. He decides to give them a surprise instead, by talking in a gruff voice, pretending to be the lion chair that they are sleeping on. Meanwhile, the ball of string that Percy had unwound to help him find his way back out has been helpfully wound up by a friendly squirrel. The final page unfolds into a large picture of the hedge maze with the challenge to the reader of helping the characters find their way out.
January 22, 2021
How delightful, joyful, warming! Now I not only know why Butterworth made it to the 1001 list, but I wonder why his Percy the Park Keeper books aren't in more libraries in the US. Oh well, at least openlibrary.org has some.
This one features a pair of minor pranks and a hedge maze. And a self-centered, clueless squirrel.
This one features a pair of minor pranks and a hedge maze. And a self-centered, clueless squirrel.
March 18, 2020
Paavo Puska eläinystävineen seikkailee labyrintissä tässä hurmaavassa kuvakirjassa. Niin Paavo kuin eläimetkin ovat hieman jekkuilevalla tuulella. Kirjaan sisältyvä labyrintti oli hauska lisä.
December 21, 2020
An absolute classic and never gets old
January 2, 2021
Another fun Percy the park-keeper story showing Percy's mischievous nature. The edition I have also has a fold-out maze which children would love.
April 30, 2022
The first children's book that I found to have an open end. The poem on the first page is woven well to ensure adults too do not keep the book down.
April 8, 2023
charming but a bit jagged at the narrative. The surprise at the end was a fun and welcomed gimmick.
April 16, 2013
This attractive book with a charming cover illustration starts out with a delightful little poem:
In leafy green hedges,
the doorway was wide.
You looked and wondered
and then stepped inside.
...
We are thinking of a maze where "a turn to the right/ turned out to be wrong."
The maze is a trickster,
of that there's no doubt.
The maze lets you in,
but it won't let you out.
Percy, the main character (and only human) and a squirrel he rescued take a walk in the park. Percy places shears to prune the hedges of his garden maze in a wheelbarrow and brings along a ball of string to lay out so he can find his way back. Meanwhile, fox, badger, and a bunch of rabbits plan a prank (by the way, these animals are common tricksters in traditional Afro-American folklore); only hedgehog decides he wants no part of this mischief. The animals go to the center of the maze, where they find a bench carved in the shape of a lion; lured by the inviting resting place, they sit down and promptly fall asleep. Percy sees them - those rascals must be up to no good - and decides he will surprise them first with a trick of his own. Hiding behind the carved lion's head, he calls out to the animals, who wake up with a start wondering how a stone head could talk. That is, until one of the rabbits discovers who is behind the trick. In a spirit of generosity, Percy invites the group to come back home with him and share some fresh-baked cookies. However, before they can set out, squirrel comes with a ball of tangled string, asking Percy what he should do with it. Oh, no! How can the group find its way out? Nobody knows? Will they be late for the cookies? That's up to the reader to decide; meanwhile, he or she can practice navigating the maze on a fold-out at the end of the book.
"The Secret Path" is a charming little story with inviting illustrations by the author. This book will certainly appeal to younger readers, especially as they are invited to arrive at their own ending and solution to how Percy and his friends should find their way back out of their maze.
In leafy green hedges,
the doorway was wide.
You looked and wondered
and then stepped inside.
...
We are thinking of a maze where "a turn to the right/ turned out to be wrong."
The maze is a trickster,
of that there's no doubt.
The maze lets you in,
but it won't let you out.
Percy, the main character (and only human) and a squirrel he rescued take a walk in the park. Percy places shears to prune the hedges of his garden maze in a wheelbarrow and brings along a ball of string to lay out so he can find his way back. Meanwhile, fox, badger, and a bunch of rabbits plan a prank (by the way, these animals are common tricksters in traditional Afro-American folklore); only hedgehog decides he wants no part of this mischief. The animals go to the center of the maze, where they find a bench carved in the shape of a lion; lured by the inviting resting place, they sit down and promptly fall asleep. Percy sees them - those rascals must be up to no good - and decides he will surprise them first with a trick of his own. Hiding behind the carved lion's head, he calls out to the animals, who wake up with a start wondering how a stone head could talk. That is, until one of the rabbits discovers who is behind the trick. In a spirit of generosity, Percy invites the group to come back home with him and share some fresh-baked cookies. However, before they can set out, squirrel comes with a ball of tangled string, asking Percy what he should do with it. Oh, no! How can the group find its way out? Nobody knows? Will they be late for the cookies? That's up to the reader to decide; meanwhile, he or she can practice navigating the maze on a fold-out at the end of the book.
"The Secret Path" is a charming little story with inviting illustrations by the author. This book will certainly appeal to younger readers, especially as they are invited to arrive at their own ending and solution to how Percy and his friends should find their way back out of their maze.
October 3, 2012
This is a well illustrated story book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The main characters are Percy, a park worker, and his little helper the squirrel. Percy had been taking care of the young squirrel after he injured himself falling from a tree. Percy decides to tidy up the maze in the park and of course the inquisitive squirrel decides to help, even though he ends up doing more harm than good! The other animals in the park plan to sneak in to the maze to surprise Percy. Things don’t go according to plan for them however and they end up falling asleep. To help them find their way out of the labyrinth Percy had used a string which the squirrel unwittingly rolled up. At the end of the story Percy, the squirrel and the rest of the animals are in the middle of the maze and are unsure how to get out. Nick Butterworth includes an interesting activity, in the form of a puzzle for the kids to decipher, at the end of the book. This would link in nicely with a geography lesson. It would also help students understand the importance of direction. I think this book is very suitable for key stage one pupils.
September 28, 2011
What a lovely little story - the animals decide to short cut their way to the middle of a maze to surprise the gardener tidying up the hedges...though the animals' plan doesn't quite work out the way they plan! The story has a lovely thread running through it with the friendship of the animals and the man, and the squirrel meaning to be helpful, but unknowingly doing something else.
This story explores a range of different themes including friendship, helping one another, working together and, most centrally, finding directions.
This is a great book for a year 4 or 5 geography class and one of the great things about it is there is a map of the maze at the back of the book which makes a great visual resource for mapping out directions. Pupils could follow on this activity by creating their own route, adding features or places within the maze, or even creating their own maze!
November 29, 2014
A gorgeous fun book where the animals decide to follow Percy the Park keeper. A great pull out map at the end for following the path and seeking everyone out. Beautiful illustrations and gorgeous simple words.
March 24, 2008
Percy and his friends attempt to navigate a maze in the park.
August 27, 2011
Lovely little story with very cute characters
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews