Oliver and João loved being neighbors! They lived in Dallas, in houses next to each other. João’s house was different because it had a big yard, with lots of grass. Before, many cows and chickens lived in the yard, but now there was only one cow named Branca. Sometimes, Branca's milk was all they had to eat in a day. Oliver always brought snacks when he played with João, so they always had fun together. João loved to play tag, and Oliver loved talking about dinosaurs! One day, they were playing dinosaurs when João’s mom asked him to sell Branca. She said they needed more than just milk to eat.
"Oh no!" cried João. "What will we do?"
"Don't worry," said Oliver. "We'll go to the market together and find someone who wants a cow."
They started walking, laughing as they pretended to be dinosaurs. But when they got to the corner, they saw a kind old man. The old man smiled at João and Oliver.
"Hello, boys," he said. "I see you have a beautiful cow. Would you like to trade her for some magic beans?"
João and Oliver were surprised. Magic beans?
"What kind of magic?" Oliver asked, his eyes wide.
"These beans will give you more food than just milk!" said the old man. "More than you could ever imagine!"
Oliver was brave, so he didn’t hesitate. "Let’s do it!" he said. "We want more food!"
João’s mother had never seen a magic bean, and she was so surprised that she didn't say anything. She just took the beans from the old man.
When they got back to João’s house, his mother started crying.
"The old man tricked us!" she sobbed. "Those beans are just regular beans! We’re going to be hungry!"
João’s mother told Oliver to go home and told João to go to bed. João was sad and angry. He didn't know what they would eat the next day! He threw the beans out the window in anger and went to sleep.
The next morning, João woke up to a surprise! A huge beanstalk, taller than any tree he had ever seen, grew out of the window! It was so tall that it touched the clouds! João’s mother wasn’t sure what to do with it. Should she sell the beans? But she decided to let João play with Oliver, so they could forget about the beans.
João and Oliver were curious, so they decided to climb the beanstalk. It was a long climb, but Oliver was brave. He helped João climb, and they reached the clouds. When they looked around, they saw a giant castle!
A giant woman, taller than any tree, opened the door and welcomed them.
“Hello, boys,” she said in a booming voice. “Come inside, but be careful! My husband is a giant who eats children!"
The ground shook. João and Oliver were scared, so they quickly hid behind a big pot. There, they found some gold coins on the ground! João quickly put them in his pocket.
When the shaking stopped, João and Oliver ran to the beanstalk and climbed down as fast as they could.
“That was scary!” said João.
“I have a better hiding place,” said Oliver. “It’s a secret cave! It's much safer.”
João nodded. “Yes, we can stay in your cave,” he said. “We can live simply, but when the coins are gone, we can climb the beanstalk again.”
For a long time, João and his mother lived comfortably with the coins. They had enough food to eat. João’s mother even gave Oliver pieces of cake to take home, to thank him for being a good friend. Oliver smiled. “My family will be very happy with the cake!” he said.
But eventually, the coins ran out. João and Oliver decided to climb the beanstalk again, even though they knew the giant was dangerous. This time, they went into the castle and hid in the kitchen. The giant was taking care of a fat hen.
"Look, João," whispered Oliver. "The hen is laying golden eggs!"
They waited for the giant to fall asleep and then quickly caught the hen. It was hard because the hen was big, but Oliver was brave and helped João carry her down the beanstalk.
João’s mother was so happy! She knew they would always have something to eat.
“I saw a golden harp on the way out of the castle,” said João. “I’m going to climb the beanstalk again and get it. This time, I’ll be quick!”
The next day, João didn’t play with Oliver. He went back to the beanstalk, but the giant was waiting for him at the door! The giant chased João, but he managed to escape!
João ran back to Oliver’s house, scared and out of breath.
“The giant is going to catch me!” he cried.
Oliver thought for a moment. “Let's cut down the beanstalk,” he said. “That way, the giant won’t be able to get down, and João’s mother is happy with the hen!”
It was hard to cut down the beanstalk. Oliver was only four years old, but they worked together, cutting and cutting until finally, the beanstalk fell down!
"Now the giant can’t come down!" shouted Oliver.
"I’m glad we cut it down,” said João. “It was too dangerous.”
“All we need is the essentials,” said Oliver. "No more, no less. Just the essentials!"
João’s mother was so relieved. The beanstalk was gone, and she had the fat hen that laid golden eggs. She invited João and Oliver for a delicious snack.
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
