Jack and the Beanstalk with Henry

“This is going to be fun!” Henry exclaimed, his face full of excitement.

The climb seemed endless. João and Henry climbed up and up, passing through the clouds. Finally, when they reached the top, they saw a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed them.

“Welcome, little ones!” she said kindly. “But please leave. My husband is a giant who eats children!”

João and Henry were scared. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. The giant was coming! They quickly hid behind a big tree. There, they found some gold coins on the ground. João quickly put them in his pocket. When they thought they could run away, they did. They managed to climb down the beanstalk quickly.

“That was scary!” said Henry.

“Yes, but I’m glad we have these gold coins,” João said, showing Henry the coins in his pocket.

“I think our underwater world is better than hiding in a tree,” Henry said with a smile.

João agreed. They would live simply, but when the coins ran out, they would climb the beanstalk again.

For a long time, João and his mother lived simply but comfortably with the coins João had taken. João’s mother even gave Henry pieces of cake to take home.

“Thank you for the cake!” said Henry. “My family will be very happy!”

Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Henry decided to climb the beanstalk again, knowing the danger of the giant. This time, they entered the castle and hid in the kitchen. There, the giant was taking care of a fat hen. And when they least expected it, they saw the hen lay golden eggs! They waited for the giant to fall asleep, and managed to capture the hen, who didn’t make any noise. Then they climbed down with her. It was difficult, but they succeeded!

“We did it, João!” Henry exclaimed.

João’s mother was happy. They would always have something to eat! But João had seen a golden harp on his way out of the castle and thought he would go alone this time.

The next day, João didn’t play with Henry and climbed the beanstalk again. He intended to be quick since he knew where the harp was. But this time, the giant was waiting for João at the door. The giant chased João, but the boy finally managed to escape!

João, very distressed, went to Henry’s house and told him what had happened. They had the idea to cut down the beanstalk so the giant could never come down.

“Let’s do it!” said Henry, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

João’s mother was already happy with the fat hen that laid golden eggs.

João and Henry managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort, even though Henry was only 4 years old. But they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.

“All we need are the essentials, no more, no less,” Henry said. “And danger isn’t worth it!”

João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Henry for a delicious afternoon snack!

And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!