Sofia and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in San Jose. 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 Sofia could, she brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Sofia enjoyed their interest in Pirates. That day, they were playing with Sofia’s interest in Pirates.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Sofia, 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 Sofia.
"Hello, children!" he said, smiling kindly. "I see you have a beautiful cow. Would you like to trade her for something magical?"
João and Sofia looked at each other.
"What do you mean by 'magical'?" asked João.
"These magic beans!" said the old man, holding out a handful of beans that sparkled in the sunlight. "Just one bean can grow a huge beanstalk that reaches up to the clouds! It's a treasure, my dears!"
Sofia’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She loved adventures! João loved the idea of having more food than just milk. "Can we really get more food with beans?" he asked.
"Of course, my boy!" the old man said. "These beans are magical! You won't regret it!"
João and Sofia quickly agreed, and they traded Branca for the magic beans.
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and Sofia.
"Oh, João, why?" his mother cried. "Branca was all we had!"
João’s mother asked Sofia 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 the beans, she didn’t worry and let João meet Sofia to go play.
João and Sofia, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Sofia, with her adventurous spirit, climbed with João. They climbed and climbed, and they climbed some more! Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Sofia, 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 Sofia 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!" said Sofia. "Treasure island is much better!"
João agreed. "We'll 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 Sofia to take home, repaying the kindness. "My family will be so happy!" Sofia said, always excited about sharing with others.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Sofia 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 Sofia 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 Sofia’s adventurous spirit helped them succeed!
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 Sofia 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!
João went to Sofia’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 Sofia managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. Even though Sofia was only seven years old, they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
"We have the essentials, no more, no less!" Sofia said. "Danger isn’t worth it!"
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Sofia for a delicious afternoon snack! And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
