Lily and João loved being neighbors! They lived in houses near each other in Washington. João’s house had a huge yard, all grassy. Many cows and chickens used to live there, but now there was only one cow, Branca. João lived with his mother and Branca, and sometimes their only food was milk from the cow. But Lily and João always played together, and Lily brought snacks to share! João loved playing tag, and Lily loved to talk to animals.
One day, João's mother asked him to sell Branca. She said they needed more than just milk. João was sad, so he called Lily. They laughed and went to the market together. But when they passed a corner, they met a kind old man. He quickly came over and talked to them.
"Would you like to sell your cow?" the old man asked João.
"Yes, we do!" João said.
"Then I have just the thing! I have magic beans that will provide food for everyone," said the old man. He held out a handful of beans.
Lily smiled and said, "Beans make yummy food!"
João thought, "Beans will be more helpful than just milk."
He nodded. "Okay, we will take your beans!"
They were so excited. João ran back home and told his mother about the beans. She gasped and started to cry!
"Oh, João!" she said. "That old man tricked you! You don’t want his beans!"
She told João to go to bed, and she asked Lily to go home. João was so sad, and he didn’t know what to do. That night, he threw the beans out the window.
The next morning, João woke up and looked out the window. He couldn’t believe his eyes! A huge beanstalk had grown in the yard. It was so big, it reached up to the clouds! João’s mother was surprised, but she wasn’t worried. She told João he could play with Lily.
"Let's climb it!" Lily exclaimed.
João smiled and they began to climb the beanstalk. It seemed to go on forever! Lily climbed with João, holding onto the beanstalk with her little hands.
Finally, after a long climb, they passed the clouds and reached the top! There, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall, greeted them at the door.
"Welcome! Come in!" she said kindly. But she quickly added, "My husband is a giant who eats children. You must leave!"
João and Lily were scared. The ground began to shake! They quickly hid behind a big rock. As they hid, they found some gold coins on the ground. João picked them up and put them in his pocket.
When they thought the giant was asleep, they ran out of the castle and climbed down the beanstalk as fast as they could.
"Our secret hideout in the Enchanted forest is better than this place," Lily said.
João nodded. "We’ll stay here and live simply, but when the gold coins are gone, we’ll come back and climb the beanstalk again."
João’s mother was happy. They had enough money to live comfortably. She even gave Lily pieces of cake to take home.
"My family will love this cake," Lily said, smiling.
But the gold coins ran out eventually. João and Lily decided to climb the beanstalk again. They knew the giant was dangerous, but they needed more gold. They entered the castle and hid in the kitchen. There, the giant was taking care of a fat hen.
"Wow!" whispered Lily. "The hen is laying golden eggs!"
João and Lily waited until the giant was sleeping, and they carefully caught the hen. She didn’t make a sound. Then, they climbed down the beanstalk with the hen. It was hard, but Lily helped João, holding onto the beanstalk with both hands.
João’s mother was delighted! She said they would never be hungry again.
João said, "I saw a golden harp in the castle. I’m going to climb the beanstalk again and get it."
The next day, João climbed the beanstalk again. This time, he was very careful. He knew where the harp was. But when he reached the top, the giant was waiting for him!
"Oh, no!" shouted João.
The giant chased João, but he managed to escape! João ran all the way to Lily’s house.
"The giant tried to catch me!" he cried.
João and Lily had an idea. They decided to cut down the beanstalk so the giant could never come down.
"It's the best idea!" said Lily.
They worked very hard, but they were little and the beanstalk was so big. Finally, they cut it down! The giant could never come down again.
"We only need the important things," Lily said, "not more, not less. And danger is not worth it."
João's mother was so relieved the beanstalk was gone. She invited João and Lily for a delicious afternoon snack.
And that afternoon, the table at João's house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
