Isabella and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Los Angeles. 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 Isabella could, she brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Isabella enjoyed their interest in dolls. That day, they were playing with Isabella's dolls.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Isabella, 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 Isabella.
“Would you like some magic beans in exchange for your cow?” the old man asked.
“Magic beans?” said João, with a curious look on his face. “What do magic beans do?”
“They can grow delicious food!” said the old man, winking.
“Beans provide more food than milk!” said Isabella, giggling. “Let’s do it!”
João and Isabella quickly thought, beans provide more food than milk! So they accepted the offer!
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and Isabella.
“You shouldn’t have done that!” she cried. “Branca was our only friend!”
João’s mother asked Isabella 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 Isabella to go play.
João and Isabella, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! The climb seemed endless!
“This is like climbing to the sky!” giggled Isabella.
Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Isabella. 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 Isabella hid behind a big pot in the kitchen. 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.
“Dream island is better than this scary place!” said Isabella, giggling.
João agreed with Isabella 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 Isabella to take home, repaying the kindness.
“My family will be so happy to have this yummy cake!” said Isabella, grinning.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Isabella 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 Isabella 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!
“The hen’s too big to carry!” said Isabella, laughing.
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 Isabella 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 Isabella’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 Isabella managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. Isabella, at only 4 years old, did her best! But they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“All we need are the essentials, no more, no less, just the essentials!” said Isabella, grinning. “Danger isn’t worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Isabella for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
