Elizabeth and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in San Diego. 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 Elizabeth could, she brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass. João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Elizabeth enjoyed their interest in stories. That day, they were playing with Elizabeth's interest in stories.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So, João called Elizabeth, 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 Elizabeth.
“Do you have a cow to sell?” the old man asked.
“Yes!” said João, “Her name is Branca, and she’s the best!”
“I have something special to offer for Branca,” the old man said. “Magic beans!”
“Magic beans?” asked Elizabeth. “What can they do?”
“These beans can make anything grow!” the old man said. “They can make food appear in your backyard!”
“Wow!” said João. “Beans provide more food than milk!”
“Let’s do it!” said Elizabeth. “We can plant them in João’s backyard, and we’ll have all the food we need!”
João and Elizabeth quickly agreed. They gave Branca to the old man and received the magic beans in exchange. They were so excited to plant them and see what would grow!
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! “Oh, João! You traded Branca for beans!” she exclaimed. “You should have listened to me!”
“But Mom, the old man said they’re magic beans!” João said. “They’ll make food grow!”
João’s mother shook her head. “He tricked you!” she said. “Those beans are worthless! I don’t know what we’ll eat now!”
João’s mother asked Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth to go play.
João and Elizabeth, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! The climb seemed endless! Elizabeth, with her creative mind, found ways to climb with João. She tied colorful ribbons to the beanstalk to mark their progress. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Elizabeth.
“Hello! You must be tired from your journey!” she said. “But you must leave! My husband is a giant who eats children!”
The ground began to shake, and João and Elizabeth 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. They managed to climb down the beanstalk quickly.
“Wow, that was scary!” said João. “That giant is really big!”
“I know!” said Elizabeth. “I think our hiding place, Fairy tale castle, is better than where we were!”
“You’re right!” said João. “Let’s just live simply. But when the coins run out, we’ll 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 Elizabeth to take home, repaying the kindness.
“Don’t worry! My family will be very happy with the cake!” said Elizabeth. “They’ll love the colorful sprinkles and the cute animal shapes you make!”
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth saw the hen lay golden eggs!
They waited for the giant to fall asleep and managed to capture the hen. The hen didn’t make any noise. They climbed down with her. It was difficult, but they succeeded!
“We did it!” said João. “We have the golden hen! We’ll never be hungry again!”
“I knew we could do it!” said Elizabeth. “I used my imagination to come up with a plan. I imagined we were like spies on a secret mission!”
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. He thought he would go alone this time.
The next day, João didn’t play with Elizabeth. 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 Elizabeth’s house and told them what had happened. They had the idea to cut down the beanstalk so the giant could never come down. Anyway, João’s mother was already happy with the fat hen that laid golden eggs.
João and Elizabeth managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. Elizabeth, despite her age, helped João with all her might. They succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“You know, João,” Elizabeth said. “We don’t need anything more than the essentials. No more, no less. Danger isn’t worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone. She invited João and Elizabeth for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
