Kromhout spent part of his childhood in children's homes. He graduated from the
MAVO and then attended the
Pedagogische academie voor het basisonderwijs, with the intent to teach elementary school. He was more interested in writing, though, and wrote stories and toured with a puppet theater. In 1978 a story of his was published in the Dutch
Donald Duck, and two years later he published his first book,
Een muis bij het fornuis. In 1982 he became a full-time writer. In 2011 his
Soldaten huilen niet won the inaugural
Gouden Lijst, awarded by the
Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek for the best Dutch young-adult novel (ages 12–15). He is partner of agronomist and politician
Eric Smaling. ==References==