Maria Elena Walsh was a songwriter like no other. She became a cultural icon in the Argentine children's songs and books genre.

Anyone in Argentina would probably know the song about Manuelita The Turtle or the Kingdom of Upside Down.

Her songs just make many Argentinian people of different ages reminisce. Pretty much everyone from the country would recall the lyrics to her songs and hum along.

Walsh was an important public figure in Argentina. She never shied away from political debate even at a time of dictatorship.

She wrote children's books that did not use silly language to gain children's attention but used words that appealed to their intelligence. She used her wit to charm both children and adults.

Walsh reinvented the genre of children's literature. She used her works as a way to criticize authority, while staying loyal to her young readers.

One of her famous works is Dailan Kifki. The book is recognized by Google Books as a classic work "written by Argentina's Lewis Carroll".

The main character of Dailan Kifki is the only voice of reason, a nod to Carroll's Alice. This book gave young readers a new way of looking at the world.

The Songs and Books that Changed Argentina

Walsh was born to a wealthy family in 1930. She was of Irish and Spanish descent.

The house she grew up in had a huge garden, a henhouse, rosebushes, lemon and orange trees and a fig tree. These items found their way into her songs and in her first novel.

When Walsh returned from her scholarship at the University of Maryland, she was praised for her writing and then published her second book of poems.

At that time, she was sick of the Peronist government which she considered authoritarian.

She performed with Leda Valladares in front of the likes of Pablo Picasso. In their acts in Argentina, the duo dressed as jugglers with backup actors mimicking the characters from their songs.

They were established figures in Argentina and their songs could be heard at every child's birthday from then on.

After splitting with Valladares, she wrote books that made her a staple of children's literature in the '60s.

How Walsh's Work Became a Fight against Censorship

The way Walsh presented her songs and books were considered dangerous by the military junta during the dictatorship in the region in the '70s.

Her work encouraged children to think for themselves and question the world around them.

The government at the time censored children's stories and TV shows. Broadcasting of songs was also banned.

Her song 'El Twist del Mono Liso' was among those censored. At this point, the song was sung in classrooms and homes since its release.

The song about a strange orange that did what she wants despite efforts to change her did not sit well with the military. They deemed the song "inappropriate".

She became an icon in fighting censorship in Argentina.

In 1978, Walsh left the stage after getting exhausted of the military junta. Many of her songs were censored and became symbols of the fight for democracy.

Come the mid-'90s, she said she wanted to be remembered "as someone who wanted to bring joy to other people, even if she sometimes failed".

In January 2011, Walsh passed away because of a bone tumor. She died in Argentina, the country that loved her and her work.

Want to read more? Check these out!