Jacob and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Chicago. 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, and sometimes her milk was all they had to eat in a day. But whenever Jacob could, they brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Jacob enjoyed their interest in Experiments. That day, they were playing with Jacob's interest in Experiments.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Jacob, 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 Jacob.
“Hello there, boys!” The old man said. “Would you be interested in some magic beans?”
João and Jacob looked at each other, confused.
“Magic beans?” Jacob asked, his brown eyes wide with curiosity. “What do they do?”
“They grow tall, tall beanstalks,” said the old man, his smile warm and friendly. “And at the top, you’ll find a giant castle full of treasures!”
João and Jacob quickly thought, beans provide more food than milk! “We’ll take them!” João shouted, his black, wavy hair bouncing.
“Great!” said the old man. “Here are the beans. Just give me your cow.”
João and Jacob quickly exchanged the beans for Branca, then ran back to João’s house.
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and Jacob. “You traded our cow for silly beans?” she said, her voice shaking.
João’s mother asked Jacob 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, the beans proved to be magical! A beanstalk that reached up to the clouds had grown in João’s yard! Although João’s mother wasn’t sure what to do with it, whether to sell beans, she didn’t worry and let João meet Jacob to go play.
João and Jacob, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Jacob climbed with João, his intelligent mind already planning what they would do when they reached the top. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Jacob, and 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 Jacob hid. 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. “Our hiding place, Secret lab, is much better than where we were hiding,” Jacob said with a chuckle.
João agreed with Jacob 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 Jacob to take home, repaying the kindness. “My family will be very happy with the cake,” said Jacob, his brown eyes sparkling with delight.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Jacob 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 Jacob 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! Jacob, with his intelligence, figured out how to create a makeshift harness using a rope and a sturdy branch, making it easier to carry the hen.
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 Jacob 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 Jacob’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 Jacob managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. Considering Jacob’s age, 7, it was no small feat! But they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“All we need is the essentials,” said Jacob to João, “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 Jacob for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
