Evelyn and João loved being neighbors! They lived in houses close together in Seattle. The only difference was that João had a big yard, full of grass, where many cows and chickens used to live! Nowadays, João lived with his mother and one cow named Branca in the yard. Sometimes, Branca’s milk was all they had to eat for the whole day! But whenever Evelyn could, they brought snacks to João’s house so they could play in the grass for a long time. João’s mother was always grateful! João loved playing tag, and Evelyn loved to draw. That day, they were playing with Evelyn’s drawings.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Evelyn, and with laughter, they headed to the market. When they passed by a corner, they met a kind old man who quickly came to talk to them.
“Hello, children!” the old man said, smiling. “Would you like to trade your cow for some magic beans?”
João and Evelyn looked at each other. “Magic beans?” João asked, surprised. “What are magic beans?”
“They’re very special,” the old man explained. “These beans can grow into anything you want! You just need to plant them.”
João and Evelyn were excited! “Beans provide more food than milk!” Evelyn shouted. “Let’s do it!”
So they traded their cow for the beans!
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying! “The old man tricked you!” she said. “He just wanted your cow!”
João’s mother asked Evelyn to go home and told João to go to bed. That night, João cried because he didn’t know what they would eat the next day. He was so angry that he threw the beans out the window and went to sleep.
The next day, João and Evelyn were amazed! A beanstalk had grown in the yard, reaching all the way up to the clouds! João’s mother wasn’t sure what to do with it, but she didn’t worry and let João meet Evelyn to go play.
João and Evelyn, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! The climb seemed endless… Evelyn climbed with João, smiling and singing a happy song. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Evelyn. Though she was kind, she asked them to leave because her husband was a giant who ate children!
The ground began to shake, and João and Evelyn hid. 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. Evelyn told João that their hiding place, Rainbow, was better than where they had hidden.
João agreed with Evelyn 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. Now, João’s mother gave pieces of cake for Evelyn to take home, repaying the kindness. “My family will be very happy with the cake!” Evelyn said, her face beaming with joy.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Evelyn decided to climb the beanstalk again, knowing the danger of the giant. This time, they entered the castle and hid in the kitchen. The giant was taking care of a fat hen. And when they least expected it, João and Evelyn saw the hen lay golden eggs! They waited for the giant to fall asleep, and managed to capture the hen. They climbed down with her! It was difficult, but they succeeded! Evelyn giggled and sang a little song as they carried 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 Evelyn 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 went to Evelyn’s house and told her 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 Evelyn managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. Even though Evelyn was only three, she helped too! They succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“All we need are the essentials, no more, no less, just the essentials!” Evelyn said to João. “Danger isn’t worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Evelyn for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
