diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e115d86..5d95e3e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -200,6 +200,14 @@ See [*selection*.data](#selection_data) for more.
 
 This method is not intended for concatenating arbitrary selections, however: if both this selection and the specified *other* selection have (non-null) elements at the same index, this selection’s element is returned in the merge and the *other* selection’s element is ignored.
 
+<a name="selection_selectChild" href="#selection_selectChild">#</a> <i>selection</i>.<b>selectChild</b>([<i>selector</i>]) [<>](https://github.com/d3/d3-selection/blob/master/src/selection/selectChild.js "Source")
+
+Returns a new selection with the (first) child of each element of the current selection matching the *selector* (if specified).
+
+<a name="selection_selectChildren" href="#selection_selectChildren">#</a> <i>selection</i>.<b>selectChildren</b>([<i>selector</i>]) [<>](https://github.com/d3/d3-selection/blob/master/src/selection/selectChildren.js "Source")
+
+Returns a new selection with the children of each element of the current selection matching the *selector* (if specified).
+
 <a name="matcher" href="#matcher">#</a> d3.<b>matcher</b>(<i>selector</i>) [<>](https://github.com/d3/d3-selection/blob/master/src/matcher.js "Source")
 
 Given the specified *selector*, returns a function which returns true if `this` element [matches](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Element/matches) the specified selector. This method is used internally by [*selection*.filter](#selection_filter). For example, this:
diff --git a/src/matcher.js b/src/matcher.js
index 4d6aadc..e6d4f50 100644
--- a/src/matcher.js
+++ b/src/matcher.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 export default function(selector) {
-  selector += "";
   return function() {
     return this.matches(selector);
   };
diff --git a/src/selection/selectChild.js b/src/selection/selectChild.js
index c7c28bb..6711d30 100644
--- a/src/selection/selectChild.js
+++ b/src/selection/selectChild.js
@@ -1,13 +1,17 @@
 import matcher from "../matcher.js";
+import constant from "../constant.js";
 
 var find = Array.prototype.find;
 
 function childFind(match) {
+  match = typeof match === "function" ? match
+        : match == null ? constant(true)
+        : matcher(match);
   return function() {
-    return find.call(this.children, match);
+    return find.call(this.children, function(e) { return match.call(e); });
   };
 }
 
 export default function(match) {
-  return this.select(childFind(typeof match === "function" ? match : matcher(match)));
+  return this.select(childFind(match));
 }
diff --git a/src/selection/selectChildren.js b/src/selection/selectChildren.js
index 32cb607..5f263e3 100644
--- a/src/selection/selectChildren.js
+++ b/src/selection/selectChildren.js
@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@ function children() {
 }
 
 function childrenFilter(match) {
+  match = typeof match === "function" ? match : matcher(match);
   return function() {
-    return filter.call(this.children, match);
+    return filter.call(this.children, function(e) { return match.call(e); });
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/test/selection/selectChildren-test.js b/test/selection/selectChildren-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac5adf8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/selection/selectChildren-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+var tape = require("tape"),
+    jsdom = require("../jsdom"),
+    d3 = require("../../");
+
+tape("select.selectChild(…) selects the first (matching) child", function(test) {
+  var document = jsdom("<h1><span>hello</span>, <span>world<span>!</span></span></h1>");
+  var sel = d3.select(document).select("h1");
+  test.ok(sel.selectChild(() => true) instanceof d3.selection);
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChild(() => true), sel.select("*"));
+  test.ok(sel.selectChild() instanceof d3.selection);
+  test.ok(sel.selectChild("*") instanceof d3.selection);
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChild("*"), sel.select("*"));
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChild(), sel.select("*"));
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChild("div"), sel.select("div"));
+  test.equal(sel.selectChild("span").text(), "hello");
+  test.end();
+});
+
+tape("selectAll.selectChild(…) selects the first (matching) child", function(test) {
+  var document = jsdom(`
+    <div><span>hello</span>, <span>world<span>!</span></span></div>
+    <div><span>hello2</span>, <span>world2<span>!2</span></span></div>
+  `);
+  var sel = d3.select(document).selectAll("div");
+  test.ok(sel.selectChild(() => true) instanceof d3.selection);
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChild(() => true), sel.select("*"));
+  test.ok(sel.selectChild() instanceof d3.selection);
+  test.ok(sel.selectChild("*") instanceof d3.selection);
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChild("*"), sel.select("*"));
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChild(), sel.select("*"));
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChild("div"), sel.select("div"));
+  test.equal(sel.selectChild("span").text(), "hello");
+  test.end();
+});
+
+
+tape("select.selectChildren(…) selects the matching children", function(test) {
+  var document = jsdom("<h1><span>hello</span>, <span>world<span>!</span></span></h1>");
+  var sel = d3.select(document).select("h1");
+  test.ok(sel.selectChildren("*") instanceof d3.selection);
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren("*").text(), "hello");
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren().size(), 2);
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren("*").size(), 2);
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChildren(), sel.selectChildren("*"));
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren("span").size(), 2);
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren("div").size(), 0);
+  test.end();
+});
+
+tape("selectAll.selectChildren(…) selects the matching children", function(test) {
+  var document = jsdom(`
+    <div><span>hello</span>, <span>world<span>!</span></span></div>
+    <div><span>hello2</span>, <span>world2<span>!2</span></span></div>
+  `);
+  var sel = d3.select(document).selectAll("div");
+  test.ok(sel.selectChildren("*") instanceof d3.selection);
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren("*").text(), "hello");
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren().size(), 4);
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren("*").size(), 4);
+  test.deepEqual(sel.selectChildren(), sel.selectChildren("*"));
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren("span").size(), 4);
+  test.equal(sel.selectChildren("div").size(), 0);
+  test.end();
+});
+