diff --git a/src/dom.js b/src/dom.js
index bad27cb..94a9b72 100644
--- a/src/dom.js
+++ b/src/dom.js
@@ -8,7 +8,17 @@ const isStr = (x) => typeof x === "string";
 
 const isObjectLiteral = (x) => Object.prototype.toString.call(x) === "[object Object]";
 
-const rename = (obj, oldKey, newKey) => (oldKey in obj ? ((obj[newKey] = obj[oldKey]), delete obj[oldKey], obj) : obj);
+const isMark = (x) => x instanceof Mark;
+
+const isTruthy = (x) => x != null && x !== false;
+
+function preprocess(options) {
+  if (options.marks) {
+    options.children = options.marks;
+    delete options.marks;
+  }
+  return options;
+}
 
 function postprocess(nodes) {
   if (!nodes) return null;
@@ -63,9 +73,17 @@ function renderNodes(mark) {
     }
     return dom;
   });
-  for (const child of children.filter(Boolean).flat(Infinity)) {
-    if (child._data) {
-      for (let i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++) {
+  for (const child of children.filter(isTruthy).flat(Infinity)) {
+    const n = nodes.length;
+    if (!isMark(child)) {
+      for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+        const node = nodes[i];
+        const datum = data[i];
+        const text = isFunc(child) ? child(datum, i, data) : child;
+        node.append(document.createTextNode(text));
+      }
+    } else if (child._data) {
+      for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
         const node = nodes[i];
         const datum = data[i];
         const childData = child._data;
@@ -78,7 +96,7 @@ function renderNodes(mark) {
       const clonedChild = child.clone();
       clonedChild._data = data;
       const childNodes = renderNodes(clonedChild);
-      for (let i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++) nodes[i].append(childNodes[i]);
+      for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) nodes[i].append(childNodes[i]);
     }
   }
   return nodes;
@@ -86,7 +104,7 @@ function renderNodes(mark) {
 
 export const renderMark = (mark) => postprocess(renderNodes(mark));
 
-export const render = (options) => renderMark(svg("svg", rename(options, "marks", "children")));
+export const render = (options) => renderMark(svg("svg", preprocess(options)));
 
 export const tag = (ns) => (tag, data, options) => new Mark(ns, tag, data, options);
 
diff --git a/test/output/setDataDrivenNonMarkChildren.html b/test/output/setDataDrivenNonMarkChildren.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ceaf017
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/output/setDataDrivenNonMarkChildren.html
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<div>
+  <span>
+    0-1
+  </span>
+  <span>
+    1-2
+  </span>
+  <span>
+    2-3
+  </span>
+</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/output/setNonMarkChildren.html b/test/output/setNonMarkChildren.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8bc88c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/output/setNonMarkChildren.html
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+<div>
+  hello
+  <span>
+    world
+  </span>
+  [object Object]
+</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/output/setZeroChildren.html b/test/output/setZeroChildren.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8cac90a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/output/setZeroChildren.html
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<div>
+  0
+</div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/snapshots.js b/test/snapshots.js
index 964e485..7fcee50 100644
--- a/test/snapshots.js
+++ b/test/snapshots.js
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ export function setChildren() {
   });
 }
 
+export function setZeroChildren() {
+  return renderMark(html("div").with([0]));
+}
+
 export function setFalsyChildren() {
   return render({
     marks: [
@@ -80,6 +84,26 @@ export function setFalsyChildren() {
   });
 }
 
+export function setNonMarkChildren() {
+  return renderMark(
+    html("div").with([
+      "hello",
+      html("span").with(["world"]), // Similar to textContent
+      {key: "foo"},
+    ]),
+  );
+}
+
+export function setDataDrivenNonMarkChildren() {
+  return renderMark(
+    html("div").with([
+      svg("span", [1, 2, 3]).with([
+        (d, i) => `${i}-${d}`, // Data-driven textContent
+      ]),
+    ]),
+  );
+}
+
 export function setDataDrivenAttributes() {
   return render({
     width: 100,