Sophia and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in San Diego. 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 Branca’s milk was all they had to eat in a day. But whenever Sophia could, they brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Sophia enjoyed their interest in Dolls. That day, they were playing with Sophia's Dolls, making them dance and sing.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Sophia, 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 Sophia. “Do you have a cow you want to sell?” the man asked, with a twinkle in his eye.
“We do!” João exclaimed. “We have Branca. We are taking her to the market!”
“Well, I have something special to trade for her,” the man said. He pulled out a bag of beans, each one bigger than Sophia’s hand. “These are magic beans!”
Sophia giggled. “Beans? But we need milk!”
“Beans provide more food than milk!” João said.
“I’m sure they do, little one,” the old man said, smiling. “Take these beans and be happy.”
João and Sophia were excited! They agreed to trade Branca for the beans and hurried back home.
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! “You traded Branca for beans?” she said, her voice trembling. “The old man tricked you!”
João’s mother asked Sophia 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 the beans, she didn’t worry and let João meet Sophia to go play.
João and Sophia, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Sophia giggled as she climbed, holding onto the beanstalk with her little hands. “This beanstalk is longer than my dolls!” she shouted up at João.
Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Sophia. “Welcome, little ones,” she said, her voice booming. “But you must leave quickly! My husband is a giant who eats children!”
The ground began to shake, and João and Sophia 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. “My Dream world is much better than this place,” Sophia said, giggling as they climbed down.
“You’re right,” João said. “We will live simply, but when the coins run out, we will 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 Sophia to take home, repaying the kindness. “My family will be very happy with the cake!” Sophia said, her blue eyes sparkling. “They love cake more than dolls!”
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Sophia 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 Sophia saw the hen lay golden eggs!
They waited for the giant to fall asleep, and managed to capture the hen. “Be quiet, little hen!” Sophia whispered to the hen, holding her tight.
Then they climbed down with her! It was difficult, but they succeeded! “I bet my dolls can’t climb this fast!” Sophia said, giggling.
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 Sophia 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 Sophia’s house and told them what had happened. “We have to stop the giant!” Sophia exclaimed, her brown hair bouncing as she nodded her head.
They had the idea to cut down the beanstalk so the giant could never come down. João’s mother was already happy with the fat hen that laid golden eggs.
João and Sophia managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. It was hard for little Sophia, but she persevered. They succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
Sophia smiled at João. “All we need is the essentials,” she said, pointing to her dolls. “No more, no less. Danger isn’t worth it.”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Sophia for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
