Hi, I'm Chris Knott-Craig, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon and author of Lend Me a Kiss, Bedtime Dinosaur Stories, and The Weird Animal Club Children’s Book Series.  My autobiography No Crying Allowed was published in 2018. It chronicles my journey to realize my dream to be a cardiac surgeon – from a farm boy in rural South Africa to the Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Memphis Tennnessee, a program ranked in the top 10 in the USA. Enjoy the site!

All the best,
CKC

This collection of poems convey strong sentiment and emotions that are not typically associated with surgeons. Eschewing any cloak of indifference, this medical doctor exposes his flaws, longings, and dreams, his search for God, and his passion for helping the vulnerable and underprivileged. Each poem is a lyrical and intimate glimpse into the heart of one who has literally held tiny infant hearts in the palm of his hand.

We all want to have friends. But sometimes, there’s something that makes us different from others. In many cases, that can make finding friends difficult. All the characters you’ll meet have a physical difference of some kind. It causes them to feel lonely and sad, until they find other animal friends who are also different. They all become friends and learn that being different means they are special, and being different is good.

Leslie, Peter, and Chris are seven-year-olds in rural South Africa. They’re best friends, which means they’ve been known to get into some mischief. One of their favorite pastimes is swimming in the nearby river, but one day, they find an unusual black rock with white spots. They think it must be something special, so they take it to the museum, where they realize they’ve found a fossil, and so begins their imaginary exploration of all things dinosaur!

Its Halloween, and the Weird Animal Club is ready to go trick-or-treating. But Cate notices the lonely new neighbors who moved in across the street. Haley the Hippo has a red tongue that doesnt fit into her mouth, and Jenna the giraffe has a long but crooked neck. The Weird Animal Club invites Haley and Jenna to join in the fun. A sequel, The Weird Animal Club at Halloween shares a story of love and acceptance and shows children that being different means they are special, and special is good.

Alex the monkey has only one arm. Rebecca the rabbit has floppy ears that don’t stand up straight. Zoe the zebra has green and black stripes. They’re all just a little different from the others, but they’ve become best friends. They play together and have lots of fun with their human friend, Cate, a girl who walks on her toes. When they are old enough to attend school, the animals are all a little afraid of what might happen. They decide they will stick together and support each other. They meet Kelly the kangaroo. Her pouch didn’t grow, so she looks different than the other kangaroos. But the members of the Weird Animal Club warmly welcome her into their group.

From the time he was fourteen years old, Christopher Knott-Craig wanted to be a heart surgeon. Six months after beginning his training as a cardiac surgeon, his professor suggested he try a different specialty. Undaunted, he begged for a second chance, which the professor reluctantly granted. Through perseverance, hard work, and determination, Knott-Craig became an internationally recognized pediatric cardiac surgeon. No Crying Allowed chronicles the trials and tribulations of becoming a pediatric heart surgeon.

Christopher John Knott-Craig was born and raised in rural South Africa in 1953. His parents and grandparents were all newspaper editors. After training as a pediatric cardiac surgeon, he was recruited to Oklahoma City in 1991 where he was Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery until 2006. Since 2008 he has been Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and Executive Co-Director of the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis TN.

He first gained international recognition in 1994 when he became the first surgeon in the world to successfully repair newborn babies with the hitherto fatal cardiac condition called Ebstein’s Anomaly. He has been personally recognized for his humanitarian contributions by Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II. Chris has also completed 16 marathons, several triathlons and successfully climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in 2007. He loves poetry, story-telling, classical music, and impressionist art.