Photo/Illutration Illustrator Yuriko Yamawaki (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Yuriko Yamawaki, who drew the illustrations for the widely popular series of children’s books titled “Guri to Gura” (Guri and Gura), died on Sept. 29. She was 80.

She drew the pictures for the series while her older sister, Rieko Nakagawa, came up with the idea for the work about two field mice and their adventures with enormous food. The first book in the series, which has sold a total of 21.5 million copies to date, was published in 1963.

The series has been translated into a number of languages, including English, Chinese and French.

The sisters were awarded the prestigious Kikuchi Kan prize in 2013.