No real reading involved, but this book is genius.

As a lover of primates and monkeys alike, I grabbed this book from the library display case and curled up for a good half hour, contemplating each face. O rhesus fair, o sweet chimpanzee.

Jill Greenberg earned notoriety for her work with human subjects -- John McCain and children in particular (see this great Slate piece on Greenberg's style and method). Well, she has a gift for putting these creatures at ease. It helps that all of the monkeys are professional models and actors in L.A. (not joking -- check out their résumés in the appendix).

I didn't care for the cutesy captions for each portrait ("sad", "sleepy", "anxious"). These species express themselves quite capably, no subtitles needed.

Wonderful book!

This book is just like the bear Portraits but this time she worked with Monkeys. They are so cute and adorible that you just wish you could own one. Great work on this picture book too.

Brilliant. Monkey Portraits. What more can you want?

Fantastic photos that Indy and I both love. And a great way to teach the words for complex emotions.

this is my go-to x-mas gift for the friend who has everything...

I loved this book of monkey portraits. The different species of monkeys seemed so humanistic. I almost wished there was more writing to accompany these photos.

On my worst days, I'd pull out this book and it would just make me happy! SO GREAT!!!!

Everyone I've shown this book to, at first glance, laughed. Monkey portraits seem humorous--since we use monkeys in silly ways. I think people expect to see widely grinning, comic faces.

What I found instead, were deeply human, beautifully moving portraits. Looking at these pictures, you cannot deny the soulfulness of these primates. They shouldn't be pets, or medical subjects or hunted for parts. As shepherds of the Earth, it's our duty to protect, not abuse, them.

I found the images to be lovely, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, often contemplative. The photography is stunning. I'm leaving this out on my table for folk to enjoy. The pictures speak plenty loud without me ever having to open my trap.

75 DELIGHTFUL PHOTOS OF PRIMATES WHO REVEAL THEIR VERY HUMAN-LIKE EMOTIONS

I recently ran across Monkey Portraits at my local used bookstore – The Iliad Bookshop – and couldn’t put it down. Commercial and celebrity photographer Jill Greenberg spent five years photographing monkeys (and some apes) who she met through animal agencies and trainers, ending up with this collection of 75 spectacular primate portraits. The photos are not only technically beautiful but also truly amazing in the way that Greenberg so perfectly captured the expressions and emotions of these creatures. Animal books aren’t usually my thing, but with this book I studied every monkey on every page, laughing especially hard at the ones who reminded me of someone I knew. These photographs are a reminder of how similar primates are to humans, and how similar humans are to primates. – Carla Sinclair

Monkey Portraits
by Jill Greenberg
Little, Brown & Company
2007, 128 pages, 8.3 x 10 x 0.4
Buy a copy on Amazon

Shocking and incredible. Amazing photography that is simultaneously challenging, introspective, fun and hilarious.