Liam and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in New York. 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. Sometimes her milk was all they had to eat in a day. But whenever Liam could, they brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Liam enjoyed their interest in Toys. That day, they were playing with Liam's interest in Toys.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Liam, 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 Liam.
"Hello, boys!" he said. "I see you have a beautiful cow. Would you be interested in trading her for some magic beans?"
João and Liam quickly thought, "Beans provide more food than milk!" "Yes!" Liam shouted, his brown eyes sparkling with excitement. "We’ll take your magic beans!"
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and Liam. "He’s a trickster!" she said. "Those are just ordinary beans!"
João’s mother asked Liam 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 Liam to go play.
João and Liam, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Liam climbed with João, his wavy black hair bouncing with each step. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Liam, 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 Liam 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. Liam told João that their hiding place, Cave, was better than where they had hidden.
João agreed with Liam 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 Liam to take home, repaying the kindness. Liam said that their family would be very happy with the cake, his cheerful smile shining brighter than the sun.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Liam 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 Liam 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! Liam, with his usual cheerful energy, helped João carry 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 Liam 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 Liam’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 Liam managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. But they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
Liam told João that all they needed was the essentials, no more, no less, just the essentials! And that danger wasn’t worth it!
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Liam for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
