diff --git a/tooling/car/_fixtures/.gitignore b/tooling/car/_fixtures/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..259b009a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tooling/car/_fixtures/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+dir-54
diff --git a/tooling/car/_fixtures/Makefile b/tooling/car/_fixtures/Makefile
index 185016cd4..8d79e8249 100644
--- a/tooling/car/_fixtures/Makefile
+++ b/tooling/car/_fixtures/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-all: dag.car
+all: dag.car issue-54.car
 
 dag.car:
 	npx ipfs-car pack --no-wrap ./dir --output ./dag.car
+
+issue-54.car:
+	mkdir -p dir-54/sub1
+	echo "abc123" > dir-54/sub1/hello.txt
+	mkdir -p dir-54/sub2
+	echo "xyz456" > dir-54/sub2/hello.txt
+	ipfs dag export `ipfs add -Qr --chunker=size-5 dir-54` > ./issue-54.car
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tooling/car/_fixtures/issue-54.car b/tooling/car/_fixtures/issue-54.car
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6fdc66499
Binary files /dev/null and b/tooling/car/_fixtures/issue-54.car differ
diff --git a/tooling/car/fixture_test.go b/tooling/car/fixture_test.go
index 95f8ca817..fe2180e0b 100644
--- a/tooling/car/fixture_test.go
+++ b/tooling/car/fixture_test.go
@@ -36,3 +36,66 @@ func TestGetNodes(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "bafybeiaq6e55xratife7s5cmzjcmwy4adzzlk74sbdpfcq72gus6cweeeq", cids[2])
 	assert.Equal(t, "bafkreihdhgb5vyuqu7jssreyo3h567obewtqq37fi5hr2w4um5icacry7m", cids[3])
 }
+
+func TestIssue54MustGetChildren(t *testing.T) {
+	f := MustOpenUnixfsCar("./_fixtures/issue-54.car")
+
+	// › npx ipfs-car ls ./issue-54.car --verbose
+	// QmT5W42oo38Bi4mL2aktaMyqu7tqj7xWCuZhmoTfo7XtiU  -       .
+	// QmUBzv8HDDtnivUvPGkqBmkCeMJKeAWhUZtb5D8ouGnATZ  -       ./sub1
+	// QmZgfvZtoFdbJy4JmpPHc1NCXyA7Snim2L8e6zKspiUzhu  7       ./sub1/hello.txt
+	// QmVtAZGRHTCzSNt1vRgz1UESvcc57ebEcDYTaDJjVu1SrA  -       ./sub2
+	// Qmf4EqZZpFPcy6oKsc84dGS5EpPdXYZ1hq39Gemadu6hfW  7       ./sub2/hello.txt
+	cids := f.MustGetChildrenCids("sub1", "hello.txt")
+
+	// › ipfs dag get QmZgfvZtoFdbJy4JmpPHc1NCXyA7Snim2L8e6zKspiUzhu | jq
+	// {
+	//   "Data": {
+	//     "/": {
+	//       "bytes": "CAIYByAFIAI"
+	//     }
+	//   },
+	//   "Links": [
+	//     {
+	//       "Hash": {
+	//         "/": "QmaATBg1yioWhYHhoA8XSUqD1Ya91KKCibWVD4USQXwaVZ"
+	//       },
+	//       "Name": "",
+	//       "Tsize": 13
+	//     },
+	//     {
+	//       "Hash": {
+	//         "/": "QmdQEnYhrhgFKPCq5eKc7xb1k7rKyb3fGMitUPKvFAscVK"
+	//       },
+	//       "Name": "",
+	//       "Tsize": 10
+	//     }
+	//   ]
+	// }
+	assert.Len(t, cids, 2)
+	assert.Equal(t, "QmaATBg1yioWhYHhoA8XSUqD1Ya91KKCibWVD4USQXwaVZ", cids[0])
+	assert.Equal(t, "QmdQEnYhrhgFKPCq5eKc7xb1k7rKyb3fGMitUPKvFAscVK", cids[1])
+
+	// › ipfs dag get 'Qmb7KRN5qCAwTYXAdTd5JHzXXQv3BDRJQhcEuMJzdiGix6' | jq
+	// {
+	//   "Data": {
+	//     "/": {
+	//       "bytes": "CAE"
+	//     }
+	//   },
+	//   "Links": [
+	//     {
+	//       "Hash": {
+	//         "/": "QmZgfvZtoFdbJy4JmpPHc1NCXyA7Snim2L8e6zKspiUzhu"
+	//       },
+	//       "Name": "hello.txt",
+	//       "Tsize": 117
+	//     }
+	//   ]
+	// }
+	cids = f.MustGetChildrenCids("sub1")
+	assert.Len(t, cids, 3)
+	assert.Equal(t, "QmZgfvZtoFdbJy4JmpPHc1NCXyA7Snim2L8e6zKspiUzhu", cids[0])
+	assert.Equal(t, "QmaATBg1yioWhYHhoA8XSUqD1Ya91KKCibWVD4USQXwaVZ", cids[1])
+	assert.Equal(t, "QmdQEnYhrhgFKPCq5eKc7xb1k7rKyb3fGMitUPKvFAscVK", cids[2])
+}
diff --git a/tooling/car/unixfs.go b/tooling/car/unixfs.go
index 90437f1ca..2c85c9d31 100644
--- a/tooling/car/unixfs.go
+++ b/tooling/car/unixfs.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path"
-	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/boxo/blockservice"
@@ -100,33 +99,26 @@ func (d *UnixfsDag) getNode(names ...string) (format.Node, error) {
 	return d.node, nil
 }
 
-func (d *UnixfsDag) listChildren(names ...string) ([][]string, error) {
+func (d *UnixfsDag) listChildren(names ...string) ([]*FixtureNode, error) {
 	node, err := d.getNode(names...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	result := [][]string{}
+	result := []*FixtureNode{}
+	var recursive func(node format.Node) error
 
-	var recursive func(format.Node, []string) error
+	recursive = func(node format.Node) error {
+		result = append(result, &FixtureNode{node: node, dsvc: d.dsvc})
+		links := node.Links()
 
-	recursive = func(node format.Node, path []string) error {
-		result = append(result, path)
-
-		links, err := d.loadLinks(node)
-		if err != nil {
-			fmt.Println(err)
-		}
-		// ignore the error: we might descend through files.
-
-		var names []string
-		for name := range links {
-			names = append(names, name)
-		}
-		sort.Strings(names)
+		for _, link := range links {
+			node, err := link.GetNode(context.Background(), d.dsvc)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
 
-		for _, name := range names {
-			err := recursive(links[name].mustGetNode(), append(path, name))
+			err = recursive(node)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -135,7 +127,7 @@ func (d *UnixfsDag) listChildren(names ...string) ([][]string, error) {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	err = recursive(node, names)
+	err = recursive(node)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -156,16 +148,10 @@ func (d *UnixfsDag) MustGetNode(names ...string) *FixtureNode {
 }
 
 func (d *UnixfsDag) MustGetChildren(names ...string) [](*FixtureNode) {
-	paths, err := d.listChildren(names...)
+	nodes, err := d.listChildren(names...)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
-
-	var nodes [](*FixtureNode)
-	for _, path := range paths {
-		nodes = append(nodes, d.MustGetNode(path...))
-	}
-
 	return nodes
 }