Grace and João loved being neighbors! They lived in houses near each other in San Francisco. João lived in a house with a huge yard. It was all grass 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 Grace could, she and João’s mother brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass. João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Grace enjoyed their interest in Fairy tales. That day, they were playing with Grace's interest in Fairy tales.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Grace, 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 Grace.
“Hello there, children!” the old man said. “I have something special for you! Would you like to trade your cow for some magic beans?”
João and Grace quickly thought, “Beans provide more food than milk!” So they accepted the offer.
“Oh, those beans are magical!” Grace said, with a sparkle in her eyes. “They can make our wishes come true!”
João and Grace returned to João’s house, excited to share their new treasures with his mother.
“Mother, we have magic beans!” João shouted. “We can grow a whole beanstalk!”
João’s mother started crying when she heard the news. “The old man tricked you, my dear boy!” she cried. “You traded our only source of milk for something that will probably not even grow!”
João’s mother asked Grace to go home and for João to go to bed. At 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, João woke up and looked out the window. There, in his yard, was a huge beanstalk that reached up to the clouds! It had grown from the magic beans! Although João’s mother wasn’t sure what to do with it, whether to sell beans, she didn’t worry and let João meet Grace to go play.
“Wow!” exclaimed Grace. “A beanstalk!”
João and Grace, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk. And the climb seemed endless!
“This is just like in the fairy tales!” Grace said with a big smile, as they climbed higher and higher.
Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Grace, and though she was kind, she asked them to leave because her husband was a giant who ate children!
“Oh, no!” João whispered.
The ground began to shake, and João and Grace 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.
“Wow, João!” Grace said. “That was exciting, but I think Dreamland is much better!”
“You’re right,” João said. “I’m so glad we’re safe.”
João and Grace agreed 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 Grace to take home, repaying the kindness.
“My family will be very happy with this delicious cake,” Grace said, with a smile.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Grace 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 Grace 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!” Grace shouted, as she and João raced down the beanstalk. “We’re safe!”
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 Grace 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 Grace’s house and told them what had happened. They had the idea to cut down the beanstalk so the giant could never come down, and anyway, João’s mother was already happy with the fat hen that laid golden eggs.
João and Grace managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. It was hard for Grace, as she was only four years old, but they succeeded. The giant would never come down!
“João,” Grace said. “All we need is the essentials. No more, no less, just the essentials. Danger isn’t worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Grace for a delicious afternoon snack.
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
