Tonari ni Kita Ko (Will You Be My Friend?)

Author: Chihiro Iwasaki; Idea: Yasoo Takeichi; Shiko-sha, 1971
This book depicts the subtle emotions of a girl, until the time that she became friends with the boy who moved in next door. This was the first time Chihiro used pastel for drawing lines. By drawing thick pastel lines on large pieces of paper, she was able to create expressions that disregard tiny details. This was a turning point in Chihiro's style. If you compare this work with her trial pieces, you can see how she omitted almost all descriptive elements in the finished picture book. Chihiro and the editor Yasoo Takeichi called such creation of a picture book: “subtraction picture book.”