"It may be a children's book – I've broken it down and simplified it – but it's definitely not just for children," Eiynah told BuzzFeed.

"I feel there are very few resources for children in our country that are not painted with a religious brush. When I see the state Pakistan's in, I feel like perhaps we need to start on teaching social acceptance and tolerance at a younger age. I don't think majority of us see the urgency of doing that. If we did, things might be different," she said.

"Of course I knew that Pakistani culture/society was homophobic but since this project the extent of that homophobia has shocked me. The kinds of hate mail I get – calling for the death of Chacha, equating my book with Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses". People have literally told me I am worthy of death because I am an enemy of "god" because of this book."