This painting and poem are featured on our new Autumn 2026 postcards, tucked into orders as a little keepsake for your family to enjoy. 

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The Painting

An Autumn Day in the Forest by Peder Mørk Mønsted

Peder Mørk Mønsted (1859–1941) was a Danish realist landscape painter. He is best known for luminous scenes of forests, still water, and snow—places where light filters softly through the trees.

He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and later worked with artists including Peder Severin Krøyer and, for a time in Paris, William-Adolphe Bouguereau. He traveled widely through Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East, yet his most beloved paintings remained the poetic landscapes of his native Scandinavia—especially Denmark.

In this forest scene, golden beech and oak trees glow against a soft sky. A path winds through fallen leaves toward a quiet clearing where deer stand near a weathered stump. To the left, a pond or still stream mirrors the autumn colors, with reeds along the bank and leaves drifting down. It feels like a walk you might take with little ones on a crisp October day.

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The Poem

The Oak

The oak sways
A little dance
As the wind blows
Leaves take a chance
Floating gently
To the ground
Acorns dropping
A thumping sound
And I witness it
Happening all around

— by Jennifer Compton

I wrote this poem as I enjoyed the large oak tree in our front yard. It's the time of year that the ground around its trunk is covered in acorns, and if you sit there while the wind blows, you'll see and hear more acorns dropping! The short lines and gentle rhythm of the poem make it easy to say together. I also turned it into a song with hand motions. We find ourselves singing it throughout the day, and I use it in my Children's Class when doing poems and songs together.

Sing Along

I hope you enjoy the beautiful painting and engaging poem shared on this postcard. I wanted to offer you something worth keeping and add some little extra beauty to your life.