Charlotte and João loved being neighbors! They lived in San Jose, in nearby houses. The only difference was that João had a huge yard, all grassy, where many cows and chickens used to live. Nowadays, João lived with his mother and a single cow in the yard, named Branca. Sometimes, Branca’s milk was all they had to eat in a day. But whenever Charlotte could, she brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass. João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Charlotte enjoyed their shared interest in Monsters. That day, they were drawing pictures of their favorite Monsters, giggling at each other's silly creations.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Charlotte, and with laughter, they headed to the market. But when they passed by a corner, they met a kind old man who quickly came to talk to João and Charlotte.
“Hello, young ones,” he said, his voice warm and gentle. “I see you have a beautiful cow there. Would you be interested in trading her for some magic beans?”
João and Charlotte looked at each other, curious. They quickly thought, beans provide more food than milk!
“Magic beans?” Charlotte asked, her black eyes sparkling with excitement. “What kind of magic?”
“These beans are special,” the old man replied, smiling. “They can grow a beanstalk that reaches the clouds. And at the top, you might find a treasure beyond your wildest dreams!”
João and Charlotte’s eyes widened with wonder. They couldn’t resist the magic beans!
“Okay!” João said, his voice full of excitement. “We’ll trade Branca for the beans!”
They handed Branca’s rope to the old man and received a bag full of magic beans. João and Charlotte were ecstatic! They couldn’t wait to show the beans to João’s mother!
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and Charlotte. She explained that those magic beans were a myth, just a silly story to make kids happy, but no one ever got rich by planting magic beans!
João’s mother asked Charlotte to go home and for João to go to bed. That night, João was sad and threw the beans out the window in anger. He cried because he didn’t know what they would eat the next day.
The next morning, João woke up and looked out the window. A giant beanstalk, so tall it reached the clouds, had grown in João’s yard! João’s mother was surprised. Though she wasn’t sure what to do with the beanstalk, she didn’t worry and let João meet Charlotte to go play.
João and Charlotte, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Charlotte, always sporty, climbed up quickly, and João followed, panting but determined. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Charlotte. She was kind but warned them to leave because her husband was a giant who ate children!
The ground began to shake, and João and Charlotte hid in a dark corner. In their hiding spot, they found some gold coins on the ground, and João quickly put them in his pocket. When they thought they could run away from the giant, they did, and managed to climb down the beanstalk quickly.
Charlotte told João that their hiding place, Under the bed, was better than where they had hidden. “You’re right, Charlotte,” said João.
João agreed with Charlotte that 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 Charlotte pieces of cake to take home, repaying the kindness.
“My family will be very happy with the cake,” Charlotte said, smiling.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Charlotte 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, João and Charlotte 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! Charlotte’s sporty skills came in handy as she helped João carry the hen down the beanstalk.
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 Charlotte 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!
Very distressed, João went to Charlotte’s house and told them what had happened. They had the idea to cut down the beanstalk so the giant could never come down. Anyway, João’s mother was already happy with the fat hen that laid golden eggs.
João and Charlotte managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. It was hard work for Charlotte, who was only 7 years old, but they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“All we need are the essentials,” said Charlotte, “No more, no less, just the essentials! And danger isn’t worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Charlotte for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
