Watercolor Children's Christian Book Character Design

I have a children’s Christian book written and edited. I’m not ready to start illustrating the book but I want to come up with character designs. There are five animal characters. I’m leaning more towards water or oil coloring (open to other styles as well) while still giving expressive faces to each character. Not too realistic. Also, I’m looking for someone who can create beautiful backgrounds, specifically of autumn season. If I am satisfied, this could lead to a separate contract where we illustrate the entire book. Since this will require a lot of communication, I prefer someone fluent in English. Absolutely no AI involved in the illustration!