How to Babysit an Orangutan

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.)