Mia and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Columbus, Ohio. 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 Mia could, they brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Mia enjoyed their interest in Princesses. That day, they were playing with Mia's interest in Princesses.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Mia, 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 Mia. "Hello, little ones!" he said. "I see you have a beautiful cow. Would you like to trade her for something even more magical?" He held out a handful of beans. "These are magic beans!" He winked. "They can grow anything you wish for!"
"Beans!" João exclaimed. "Beans provide more food than milk!" Mia nodded, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "Maybe we can grow a giant cupcake!" She giggled.
João and Mia quickly agreed to trade. The old man smiled and handed them the beans. “These are special,” he said. "They’re like little wishes!"
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! “You traded Branca for beans?!” she wailed. “That old man tricked you!”
João’s mother asked Mia 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, she didn’t worry and let João meet Mia to go play.
João and Mia, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Mia, with her creative mind, imagined the beanstalk as a giant slide, twisting and turning through the air. "Faster, João!" she shouted. "Let's race the clouds!" Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Mia, 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 Mia 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.
"That was scary," Mia said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "But you know what? My ice castle is much better than where we hid!" João agreed with Mia 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 Mia to take home, repaying the kindness. "My family will be so happy to have cake for dessert," Mia said, her blond, wavy hair bouncing as she smiled. "Maybe we can build a castle out of cake!"
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Mia 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 Mia 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! Mia, being so creative, thought of the hen as a fluffy, golden cloud, carrying them down the beanstalk.
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 Mia 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 Mia’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 Mia managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. Even though Mia was only four years old, she helped by holding the rope while João swung the axe. But they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
Mia 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 Mia for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
