diff --git a/blocks/api/index.js b/blocks/api/index.js
index b25e28735a5c84..043998c1ad4194 100644
--- a/blocks/api/index.js
+++ b/blocks/api/index.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import * as source from './source';
 
 export { source };
 export { createBlock, switchToBlockType } from './factory';
+export { toElement } from './nodes';
 export { default as parse } from './parser';
 export { default as pasteHandler } from './paste';
 export { default as serialize, getBlockDefaultClassname } from './serializer';
diff --git a/blocks/api/nodes.js b/blocks/api/nodes.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..f94f29bbfe1a1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/blocks/api/nodes.js
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/**
+ * External dependencies
+ */
+import { reduce, map } from 'lodash';
+
+/**
+ * WordPress dependencies
+ */
+import { createElement } from '@wordpress/element';
+
+export function namedNodeMapToObject( namedNodeMap ) {
+	return reduce( namedNodeMap, ( result, entry ) => {
+		result[ entry.name ] = entry.value;
+		return result;
+	}, {} );
+}
+
+export function toText( node ) {
+	return {
+		type: 'text',
+		text: node.nodeValue,
+	};
+}
+
+export function toNode( node ) {
+	const { nodeName, attributes, childNodes } = node;
+
+	return {
+		type: 'node',
+		name: nodeName.toLowerCase(),
+		attributes: namedNodeMapToObject( attributes ),
+		children: children( childNodes ),
+	};
+}
+
+export function children( childNodes ) {
+	return reduce( childNodes, ( result, childNode ) => {
+		switch ( childNode.nodeType ) {
+			case window.Node.ELEMENT_NODE:
+				result.push( toNode( childNode ) );
+				break;
+
+			case window.Node.TEXT_NODE:
+				result.push( toText( childNode ) );
+				break;
+		}
+
+		return result;
+	}, [] );
+}
+
+export function toElement( value ) {
+	if ( value === null || value === undefined ) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if ( Array.isArray( value ) ) {
+		return map( toElement, value );
+	}
+
+	switch ( value.type ) {
+		case 'text':
+			return value.text;
+
+		case 'element':
+			return createElement(
+				value.name,
+				value.attributes,
+				toElement( value.children ),
+			);
+	}
+}
diff --git a/blocks/api/source.js b/blocks/api/source.js
index eee04d56e604fa..1e0df1bf70ab3c 100644
--- a/blocks/api/source.js
+++ b/blocks/api/source.js
@@ -1,12 +1,6 @@
-/**
- * WordPress dependencies
- */
-import { createElement } from '@wordpress/element';
-
 /**
  * External dependencies
  */
-import { nodeListToReact, nodeToReact } from 'dom-react';
 import { flow } from 'lodash';
 import {
 	attr as originalAttr,
@@ -16,6 +10,26 @@ import {
 	query as originalQuery,
 } from 'hpq';
 
+/**
+ * Internal dependencies
+ */
+import * as nodes from './nodes';
+
+function applySelector( selector ) {
+	return ( element ) => {
+		if ( selector ) {
+			return element.querySelector( selector );
+		}
+
+		return element;
+	};
+}
+
+function applyKnownSourceFlag( source ) {
+	source._wpBlocksKnownSource = true;
+	return source;
+}
+
 /**
  * Given a source function creator, returns a new function which applies an
  * internal flag to the created source.
@@ -24,10 +38,7 @@ import {
  * @return {Function}    Modified source function creator
  */
 function withKnownSourceFlag( fn ) {
-	return flow( fn, ( source ) => {
-		source._wpBlocksKnownSource = true;
-		return source;
-	} );
+	return flow( fn, applyKnownSourceFlag );
 }
 
 export const attr = withKnownSourceFlag( originalAttr );
@@ -35,29 +46,14 @@ export const prop = withKnownSourceFlag( originalProp );
 export const html = withKnownSourceFlag( originalHtml );
 export const text = withKnownSourceFlag( originalText );
 export const query = withKnownSourceFlag( originalQuery );
-export const children = withKnownSourceFlag( ( selector ) => {
-	return ( domNode ) => {
-		let match = domNode;
-
-		if ( selector ) {
-			match = domNode.querySelector( selector );
-		}
-
-		if ( match ) {
-			return nodeListToReact( match.childNodes || [], createElement );
-		}
-
-		return [];
-	};
-} );
-export const node = withKnownSourceFlag( ( selector ) => {
-	return ( domNode ) => {
-		let match = domNode;
-
-		if ( selector ) {
-			match = domNode.querySelector( selector );
-		}
-
-		return nodeToReact( match, createElement );
-	};
-} );
+export const children = ( selector ) => flow(
+	applySelector( selector ),
+	( match ) => match.childNodes,
+	nodes.children,
+	applyKnownSourceFlag
+);
+export const node = ( selector ) => flow(
+	applySelector( selector ),
+	nodes.toNode,
+	applyKnownSourceFlag
+);
diff --git a/blocks/editable/tinymce.js b/blocks/editable/tinymce.js
index fe1ba297bfed19..02e1a939893ce3 100644
--- a/blocks/editable/tinymce.js
+++ b/blocks/editable/tinymce.js
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ import classnames from 'classnames';
 /**
  * WordPress dependencies
  */
-import { Component, Children, createElement } from '@wordpress/element';
+import { Component, createElement } from '@wordpress/element';
+import { toElement } from '@wordpress/blocks';
 
 export default class TinyMCE extends Component {
 	componentDidMount() {
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ export default class TinyMCE extends Component {
 		// us to show and focus the content before it's truly ready to edit.
 		let children;
 		if ( defaultValue ) {
-			children = Children.toArray( defaultValue );
+			children = toElement( defaultValue );
 		}
 
 		return createElement( tagName, {
diff --git a/blocks/library/paragraph/index.js b/blocks/library/paragraph/index.js
index 1061d81e7f4256..29970e5973fb03 100644
--- a/blocks/library/paragraph/index.js
+++ b/blocks/library/paragraph/index.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { concatChildren } from '@wordpress/element';
  * Internal dependencies
  */
 import './style.scss';
-import { registerBlockType, createBlock, source, setDefaultBlock } from '../../api';
+import { registerBlockType, createBlock, source, setDefaultBlock, toElement } from '../../api';
 import AlignmentToolbar from '../../alignment-toolbar';
 import BlockControls from '../../block-controls';
 import Editable from '../../editable';
@@ -124,10 +124,10 @@ registerBlockType( 'core/paragraph', {
 		const className = dropCap ? 'has-drop-cap' : null;
 
 		if ( ! align ) {
-			return <p className={ className }>{ content }</p>;
+			return <p className={ className }>{ toElement( content ) }</p>;
 		}
 
-		return <p style={ { textAlign: align } } className={ className }>{ content }</p>;
+		return <p style={ { textAlign: align } } className={ className }>{ toElement( content ) }</p>;
 	},
 } );
 
diff --git a/blocks/library/pullquote/index.js b/blocks/library/pullquote/index.js
index a4223575338e2d..46d7a6075eea97 100644
--- a/blocks/library/pullquote/index.js
+++ b/blocks/library/pullquote/index.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { __ } from '@wordpress/i18n';
  */
 import './editor.scss';
 import './style.scss';
-import { registerBlockType, source } from '../../api';
+import { registerBlockType, source, toElement } from '../../api';
 import Editable from '../../editable';
 import BlockControls from '../../block-controls';
 import BlockAlignmentToolbar from '../../block-alignment-toolbar';
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ registerBlockType( 'core/pullquote', {
 
 		return (
 			<blockquote className={ `align${ align }` }>
-				{ value && value.map( ( paragraph, i ) => <p key={ i }>{ paragraph.props.children }</p> ) }
+				{ toElement( value ) }
 				{ citation && citation.length > 0 && (
 					<footer>{ citation }</footer>
 				) }
diff --git a/blocks/library/quote/index.js b/blocks/library/quote/index.js
index 71eb7a99f44842..c318cc7a993bf9 100644
--- a/blocks/library/quote/index.js
+++ b/blocks/library/quote/index.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import { Toolbar } from '@wordpress/components';
  * Internal dependencies
  */
 import './style.scss';
-import { registerBlockType, createBlock, source } from '../../api';
+import { registerBlockType, createBlock, source, toElement } from '../../api';
 import AlignmentToolbar from '../../alignment-toolbar';
 import BlockControls from '../../block-controls';
 import Editable from '../../editable';
@@ -209,9 +209,7 @@ registerBlockType( 'core/quote', {
 				className={ `blocks-quote-style-${ style }` }
 				style={ { textAlign: align ? align : null } }
 			>
-				{ value.map( ( paragraph, i ) => (
-					<p key={ i }>{ paragraph.props.children }</p>
-				) ) }
+				{ toElement( value ) }
 				{ citation && citation.length > 0 && (
 					<footer>{ citation }</footer>
 				) }