Sounds as if you need to do either a restart or a reset (or both!). To do:
Restart: Hold down the power button until the power off slider appears. Slide it off. When the iPad finishes shutting down, hold down the power button again until the Apple logo appears.
Reset: Hold both the power and home buttons until the screen goes dark and the Apple logo then appears (the slide to unlock screen may or may not appear). Once the logo appears, release the buttons. After a time, your homescreen will appear. Please note that it may take some time for the Apple logo to appear or for your homescreen to appear (or both). This is normal. Eventually, the homescreen will appear.
Sometimes, like any other computer, the iPad needs a swift kick in the software. So, try this and see if it helped. If yes, yay! If not, holler back and we'll see what else to try. Good luck.
Marilyn