Daniel and João loved being neighbors! They lived in houses near each other in Dallas. The only difference was that João had a huge yard. The yard was all grassy, and many cows and chickens used to live there. 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 Daniel could, they brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass. João's mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Daniel enjoyed their interest in Superheroes. That day, they were playing with Daniel's interest in Superheroes.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca. They needed more than just milk. So João called Daniel, and with laughter, they headed to the market. But when they passed by a corner, they met a kind old man. He quickly came to talk to João and Daniel.
“Would you like some magic beans in exchange for your cow?" the old man asked, smiling kindly. "They're magical beans. They'll grow you a lot of food!”
João and Daniel quickly thought. "Beans provide more food than milk!" Daniel exclaimed, considering João’s situation. So they accepted the offer.
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying. “You've been tricked!” she cried. “That man is a cheat!”
“But, Mother, the beans are magic!" said João, confused.
João's mother asked Daniel to go home and for João to go to bed. That night, crying because he didn’t know what they would eat the next day, João threw the beans out the window in anger and went to sleep too.
The next day, the beans proved to be magical! A beanstalk that reached up to the clouds had grown in João’s yard! João’s mother wasn’t sure what to do with it. She wasn’t sure if she should sell the beans. She didn’t worry, though, and let João meet Daniel to go play.
João and Daniel, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! The climb seemed endless… Daniel climbed with João, thinking about how smart he was. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Daniel. Although she was kind, she asked them to leave. “My husband is a giant who eats children!” she said, looking worried.
The ground began to shake, and João and Daniel hid. In their hiding spot, they found some gold coins on the ground. 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. “Our hiding place, the Secret fortress, is better than where we hid,” Daniel told João.
João agreed. “We’ll live simply, but when the coins run out, we’ll climb the beanstalk again.”
For a long time, João and his mother lived simply but comfortably with the coins João had taken. Now, João’s mother gave pieces of cake for Daniel to take home, repaying the kindness. “Our family will be very happy with the cake,” said Daniel, showing how smart he was.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Daniel 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 Daniel saw the hen lay golden eggs! They waited for the giant to fall asleep, and managed to capture the hen. The hen didn’t make any noise. Then they climbed down with her! It was difficult, but they succeeded! Daniel used all his intelligence to help them climb down safely.
João’s mother was happy. “Now, we’ll always have something to eat!” she said. But João had seen a golden harp on his way out of the castle. He thought he would go alone this time.
The next day, João didn’t play with Daniel. He 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 Daniel’s house. He told them what had happened. They had the idea to cut down the beanstalk. Then the giant could never come down. Anyway, João’s mother was already happy with the fat hen that laid golden eggs.
João and Daniel managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. Daniel was only five years old, but they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“All we need is the essentials, no more, no less, just the essentials,” Daniel told João. “Danger isn't worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone. She invited João and Daniel for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
