Henry and João loved being neighbors! They lived in San Antonio, in houses very close to each other. The only difference was that João had a huge yard with grass, where many cows and chickens used to live. Nowadays, João lived with his mother and one cow named Branca. Sometimes, all they had to eat was Branca's milk. But whenever Henry could, they brought snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass. João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Henry enjoyed their interest in fish. One day, they were looking at the fish in Henry’s little aquarium.
“Look, João, this fish is almost as big as my hand!” Henry said excitedly, pointing at a big, orange goldfish.
“Wow, Henry! It’s amazing!” João replied.
Then, João’s mother called him.
“João, my boy, you need to go to the market with me,” she said. “We’re going to sell Branca. We need more than just her milk.”
João sighed. He didn’t want to sell Branca.
“What can we do?” he asked Henry.
“Come on! Let’s go to the market!” Henry said, full of excitement.
They walked together, laughing and joking. But when they passed a corner, an old man quickly came to talk to them.
“Hey, young fellas!” the old man said. “I saw you with that cow. Would you like to trade her for some magic beans?”
João and Henry looked at each other.
“Beans? But how can beans help us?” João asked.
“These are magic beans!” the old man said, smiling. “They can grow into a plant that gives you more food than milk!”
Henry’s eyes sparkled.
“That’s awesome! Let’s do it, João!” he said.
João agreed, and they traded Branca for the beans.
When they returned to João’s house, his mother started crying.
“Oh, João! Why did you sell Branca?” she cried. “The old man tricked you! The beans are useless!”
João felt bad. He was sad that he had sold Branca. His mother asked Henry to go home, and João went to bed, feeling disappointed.
That night, João cried himself to sleep. He didn’t know what they would eat the next day. In his anger, he threw the beans out the window and went to sleep.
The next day, João woke up to a surprise. A beanstalk that reached up to the clouds had grown in his yard! João’s mother was surprised too. She wasn’t sure what to do with it, whether to sell the beans, but she didn’t worry and let João meet Henry to play.
João and Henry, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk.
“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!
