Alexander and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 Alexander could, he and his family brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João's mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Alexander enjoyed their shared interest in dinosaurs. That day, they were playing with Alexander's favorite plastic dinosaurs, roaring and stomping around the yard.
One day, João's mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. "We need money to buy food," she said. "It's hard to survive with just milk, especially in the summer." So João called Alexander, 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 Alexander.
"Excuse me, young boys," the old man said, his voice gentle. "I see you have a lovely cow there. Would you be interested in trading her for something magical?"
"Magical?" Alexander asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
The old man smiled. "These are magic beans," he said, holding out a small bag. "They can grow into something wonderful, something that will bring you more food than a cow ever could!"
"Beans?" João asked. "Beans can provide more food than milk?"
"More than milk, my boy!" the old man insisted. "Think of all the delicious things you could grow! And imagine the adventures you could have!"
João and Alexander quickly thought, "Beans provide more food than milk!" So they accepted the offer! João's mother agreed, hoping for a better future.
When they returned to João's house, João's mother started crying when she heard the news! "Oh, my dear boys!" she cried. "That old man tricked you! Those are just ordinary beans! You traded our only source of food for nothing!"
João's mother asked Alexander 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 Alexander to go play.
João and Alexander, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Alexander climbed with João, stopping every few feet to look at the amazing view of the clouds. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Alexander, 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 Alexander 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. Alexander told João that their hiding place, Dinosaur world, was better than where they had hidden.
João agreed with Alexander 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 Alexander to take home, repaying the kindness. Alexander said that their family would be very happy with the cake, considering his curious personality.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Alexander 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 Alexander 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! Alexander's curiosity helped them stay focused.
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 Alexander 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 Alexander'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 Alexander managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort, considering Alexander's age. But they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
Alexander 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 Alexander for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João's house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
