My iPad Died And Won't Work

My iPad has died and I immediately plugged it in. I ate breakfest, and then checked on it. Unusually, it didn't turn on by itself, and so I attempted to turn it on. The Apple logo came onto the screen, but then went away. I attempted to turn it on again, but got the same results. I left it in the charger for a while, then tried to use the home and lock button, but it did the same as before. Now as I write this, the Apple logo continues to show, soon going off again, without me touching it. Please help, as my iPad is very important to me. Thank you!