ALA Booklist (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 1996)

Camp Leakey, a place for raising orphaned baby orangutans, is located in a rain forest on the island of Borneo. Here adult baby-sitters protect, care for, and nurture orphan orangutans until they are old enough to be returned to their natural environment. This smoothly written book profiles the work of these caretakers and describes in detail the characteristics, habits, and stages of an orangutan's early years. Color photographs capture the playful antics of these young animals as they engage in everyday activities. A fact page and a map of Camp Leakey's location complete the engagingly designed book. (Reviewed December 15, 1996)

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1996)

Most of the babies at Camp Leakey, an 'orangutan orphanage' in a Borneo rain forest, have lost their mothers to skirmishes with animal smugglers. The orangutans require protective care for several years before they can survive forest life on their own. Excellent color photographs (albeit in a cluttered, distracting design) paired with simple text cover many aspects of this special form of child care. Ind.

Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

The Darlings (Kangaroos, 1993, etc.) open their book by explaining the need for human baby-sitters: Orangutan babies are cute and cuddly,'' they note, which is whygreedy animal dealers'' capture the babies for sale, often killing mother orangutans in the attempt. Some orphans end up in Camp Leakey, in the rain forests of Borneo, where dedicated staff care for the orphans until they are old enough to survive in the wild (the authors note that the adult orangutans come back to visit, but whether this is continued dependence or not isn't clear). The text is loaded with anthropomorphisms (``wise-guy five- and six-year- olds think it is cool to slurp [milk] right from the bucket'') that some budding naturalists will find too sweet, but most children will enjoy the cluttered array of colorful, candid, full-color photos of babies grooming, playing, feeding, and mugging it up. A final page gives orangutan facts; on the dust jacket, readers are invited to adopt an orangutan orphan for $ 50 a year. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

At Camp Leakey in the rainforests of Borneo, the """"children"""" suck their thumbs, play hide-and-seek, indulge in temper tantrums and make best friends. But Camp Leakey is """"not your average camp,"""" as this photo essay makes clear; rather, it's an """"orangutan orphanage."""" Writing in the first-person singular, the Darlings, a mother-daughter team, explain what it is like to rescue baby orangutans and to teach them survival skills so they can be returned to the wild in adulthood. The animals learn such talents as climbing (falling out of trees is a common mishap), identifying proper foods and building nests. The photos show the little apes in impish or vulnerable moments: stealing Tara's hat, wrestling, making faces, drinking milk from a bottle. What the photos occasionally lack in crispness is supplied by the bubbly, instructive text. Kids will enjoy this ultimate babysitting gig-where the cute and cuddly converge with the significant and urgent. Ages 5-8. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3--This naturalist/photographer team, a mother and daughter, describe the responsibilities of adults who "babysit" young, orphaned orangutans at Camp Leakey in Borneo's rain forest. Orangutan mothers are often killed when hunters attempt to capture the baby apes for private zoos, circuses, or movie appearances. A few are lucky enough to be rescued. To ensure their survival, humans accompany the orangs for their first seven or eight years of life, feeding and bathing them, and teaching them about wild foods and nest-building, and providing them with exercise that strengthens their muscles. The text's informal, sometimes anthropomorphic tone diminishes the value of the basic information, which should fascinate animal lovers. The captivating, sharply focused, full-color photographs are consistently overshadowed by the geometric shapes into which they have been cropped and framed. Also, many text blocks are placed in brightly colored and bordered geometric boxes, resulting in an overdesigned product. Tara is featured in many photographs, but since she is listed as the photographer, the book's first-person voice is confusing. Books that contain information about scientist Birute Galdikas, who trains the orang babysitters at Camp Leakey, combined with an encyclopedia article on orangutans, could easily replace this volume; however, its simple presentation at a young reading and interest level makes it a unique offering.--Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR