Improve Student Comprehension with a Client-first Approach to Data Structures

This book presents the full set of collection classes early and allows students to become familiar with those classes as clients.

Once students have had time to assimilate that material, the book then explores the range of possible implementations and their associated computational characteristics.

Defer the Presentation of C++ Features that Require a Detailed Understanding of the Underlying Machine

Although the first two chapters offer students an overview of the primitive types and control structures available in C++, the initial presentation deliberately defers the topics–primarily pointers and arrays–that depend on an understanding of machine architecture.
Introducing collection classes early enables students to master other equally important topics–including collection classes, recursion, object-oriented design, and algorithmic analysis–without having to struggle with low-level details at the same time.

Engage Students with Exciting Graphical Assignments

This book comes with a freely distributed, open-source library that supports graphics and interactivity in a simple, pedagogically appropriate way.
The Stanford C++ library also includes simplified implementations of the collection classes that support a more logical and effective order of presentation.

Programming Abstractions in C++, 1st edition