diff --git a/.changeset/brown-boats-nail.md b/.changeset/brown-boats-nail.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0c413937
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/brown-boats-nail.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'preact-render-to-string': patch
+---
+
+Fix `preact/debug` incorrectly throwing errors on text children
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index bd596ba9..9d816d6d 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -165,6 +165,23 @@ function renderClassComponent(vnode, context) {
 	return c.render(c.props, c.state, c.context);
 }
 
+/**
+ * @param {any} vnode
+ * @returns {VNode}
+ */
+function normalizeVNode(vnode) {
+	if (vnode == null || typeof vnode == 'boolean') {
+		return null;
+	} else if (
+		typeof vnode == 'string' ||
+		typeof vnode == 'number' ||
+		typeof vnode == 'bigint'
+	) {
+		return h(null, null, vnode);
+	}
+	return vnode;
+}
+
 /**
  * @param {string} name
  * @param {boolean} isSvgMode
@@ -237,6 +254,8 @@ function _renderToString(vnode, context, isSvgMode, selectValue, parent) {
 			rendered =
 				rendered +
 				_renderToString(vnode[i], context, isSvgMode, selectValue, parent);
+
+			vnode[i] = normalizeVNode(vnode[i]);
 		}
 		return rendered;
 	}
@@ -372,6 +391,8 @@ function _renderToString(vnode, context, isSvgMode, selectValue, parent) {
 		vnode[CHILDREN] = children;
 		for (let i = 0; i < children.length; i++) {
 			let child = children[i];
+			children[i] = normalizeVNode(child);
+
 			if (child != null && child !== false) {
 				let childSvgMode =
 					type === 'svg' || (type !== 'foreignObject' && isSvgMode);
@@ -391,7 +412,7 @@ function _renderToString(vnode, context, isSvgMode, selectValue, parent) {
 			}
 		}
 	} else if (children != null && children !== false && children !== true) {
-		vnode[CHILDREN] = [children];
+		vnode[CHILDREN] = [normalizeVNode(children)];
 		let childSvgMode =
 			type === 'svg' || (type !== 'foreignObject' && isSvgMode);
 		let ret = _renderToString(
diff --git a/test/debug.test.js b/test/debug.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d794a8ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/debug.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import 'preact/debug';
+import { render } from '../src';
+import { h } from 'preact';
+import { expect } from 'chai';
+
+describe('debug', () => {
+	it('should not throw "Objects are not valid as a child" error', () => {
+		expect(() => render(<p>{'foo'}</p>)).not.to.throw();
+		expect(() => render(<p>{2}</p>)).not.to.throw();
+		expect(() => render(<p>{true}</p>)).not.to.throw();
+		expect(() => render(<p>{false}</p>)).not.to.throw();
+		expect(() => render(<p>{null}</p>)).not.to.throw();
+		expect(() => render(<p>{undefined}</p>)).not.to.throw();
+	});
+
+	it('should not throw "Objects are not valid as a child" error #2', () => {
+		function Str() {
+			return ['foo'];
+		}
+		expect(() => render(<Str />)).not.to.throw();
+	});
+
+	it('should not throw "Objects are not valid as a child" error #3', () => {
+		expect(() => render(<p>{'foo'}bar</p>)).not.to.throw();
+	});
+});