William and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Phoenix. The only difference was that João had a huge yard, all grassy, where many cows and chickens used to live. Now, 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 William could, he and João would bring some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass. João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and William enjoyed their interest in birds. That day, they were playing with William’s interest in birds.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca. They needed more than just milk. So João called William, and with laughter, they headed to the market. But when they passed by a corner, they met a kind old man. He quickly came to talk to João and William.
“Hello, boys!” said the old man. “I see you have a lovely cow. Would you be interested in trading her for some magic beans?”
João and William quickly thought, “Beans provide more food than milk!” So they accepted the offer! “Yes, sir!” said William, with his cheerful voice. “We’d love to trade!”
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and William. She said, “Oh, my dear boys! Those beans are useless! Now we have no milk!”
João’s mother asked William 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 William to go play.
João and William, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! The climb seemed endless. William, with his fast and cheerful personality, kept climbing. He told João, “Come on, João, let’s go faster!” Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and William. Although 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 William hid. In their hiding spot, they found some gold coins on the ground. 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. William told João, “Our hiding place, Racetrack, is better than where we had hidden.”
João agreed with William 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 William to take home, repaying the kindness. “My family will be very happy with the cake,” said William with his cheerful personality.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and William decided to climb the beanstalk again, knowing the danger of the giant. This time, they entered the castle and hid in the kitchen. The giant was taking care of a fat hen. And when they least expected it, João and William 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! William, fast as a cheetah, helped João down the beanstalk. “Come on, João, we can do this!” he yelled.
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 William. He 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 William’s house and told them what had happened. 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 William managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. William, even though he was only 4, worked hard with João. They succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“All we need are the essentials, no more, no less, just the essentials!” said William. “Danger isn’t worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone. She invited João and William for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
