This article explores the norms underlying the representation of classical children’s literature. It delves deeper into how contemporary texts featuring tree protagonists—such as Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls (2011), Katherine Applegate’s Wishtree (2017), and Lihong Zhao’s The Tree Boy (2021)—have pushed the boundaries of these norms. Through the lens of new materialism, this study introduces a typology of anthropomorphic trees to better understand the interplay between arborealism and anthropomorphism. Building upon the potential and limitations inherent in this typology, the study further investigates the poetics of arboreal protagonists in illustrating their unique arboreal agency.