AMONG THE ORANGUTANS

First in ``The Great Naturalists'' series: a portrait of a woman who has been observing Borneo's orangutans and championing their preservation since 1971. Gallardo, who has twice visited Galdikas at ``Camp Leakey'' (named for Louis Leakey, Galdikas's mentor), describes her as ``complet[ing] his primate-studying trio'' (the others: Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey). The color photos here, of orangutans in the wild and interacting with naturalists (especially Galdikas) who are raising orphaned young ones, are excellent—informative, appealing, and well reproduced. The serviceable text outlines Galdikas's life, makes her dedication clear, and mentions many of her findings; but attempts to dramatize her difficulties are clumsy (releasing an increasingly aggressive favorite to the wild; sending her son to live with his father in Canada), while the book's chronological arrangement results in a lack of focus on the substantial information included on orangutans. Even so, attractive and useful. List of organizations; glossary; index. (Nonfiction. 9- 12)