Ella and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Houston. The only difference was that João had a huge yard, all grassy, where many cows and chickens used to live. But 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 Ella could, she brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Ella enjoyed their interest in Stars. That day, they were playing with Ella's interest in Stars. "Look, João! It's Orion's belt," Ella pointed to the sky, "and there's the North Star!" João laughed and ran, "You're a real star expert, Ella!"
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. "We're running low on food, João," she said, her voice sad. So João called Ella, 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 Ella. "Hello, young ones," he said, his voice full of wisdom. "Would you like to trade your cow for some magical beans?" João and Ella looked at each other, confused. "Magical beans?" Ella asked, her eyes wide with wonder. "Yes," the old man replied, "these beans can grow anything you can imagine!" João and Ella quickly thought, beans provide more food than milk! So they accepted the offer! "Let's do it, João!" Ella shouted, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement. "We can grow all sorts of things!"
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! "Oh, João, why?" She sobbed, "The old man is a trickster. Branca was all we had!" João’s mother asked Ella 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 Ella to go play. "João, look!" Ella pointed at the beanstalk, "It's like a bridge to the stars!" João and Ella, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Ella climbed with João, her brown curls bouncing as she imagined the wonders that awaited them at the top. "We're so close to the stars," she whispered, her eyes filled with wonder. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Ella. 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 Ella 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. "João, remember our secret hideout, Outer Space?" Ella asked, "It's better than hiding here!" João agreed with Ella 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 Ella to take home, repaying the kindness. "My family will love this cake," Ella said, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Ella 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 Ella 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! "We're like little stars, João, guiding our way," Ella said, her brown eyes shining with determination.
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 Ella 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 Ella’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 Ella managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort, but they succeeded! "We did it, João!" Ella said, her eyes wide with pride. And thus, the giant would never come down.
Ella told João, "We need only the essentials, no more, no less, just the essentials! Danger isn't worth it!" João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Ella for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
